WYFF News 4 Investigates: Defending airports from drones

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CAROL: HERE IN THE U.S., THIS IS THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL DRONE SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK. NIGEL: BUT IN A YEAR-LONG INVESTIGATION, OUR NATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE UNIT FOUND U.S. AIRPORTS ARE WOEFULLY UNPREPARED FOR DRONE ATTACKS, AND THE FAA IS EFFECTIVELY STOPPING THOSE AIRPORTS FROM BEEFING UP DEFENSES. CAROL: CHIEF NATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT MARK ALBERT IS LIVE IN WASHINGTON WITH THE STORY. MARK: THE FAA PREDICTS THERE WILL BE 2.5 MILLION DRONES IN THE AIR BY 2022. EACH AND EVERY ONE, A CLEAR AND PRESENT RISK TO AIRPORTS, ACCORDING TO AIRPORT COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL WORLD. BUT DESPITE ANOTHER GROUP SAYING DRONE DEFENSE SYSTEMS SHOULD BE REQUIRED AT AIRPORTS, BUT SO FAR WE FOUND THOSE SYSTEMS ARE GROUNDED. THE SIMULATED THREAT TAKES OFF, SOON APPROACHING THE 2019 SUPER BOWL IN ATLANTA. >> I HAVE FULL VIEW OF MY TARGET RIGHT NOW. MARK: IS THIS DRONE CARRYING SOMETHING TO DISRUPT THE YEAR’S MOST-WATCHED EVENT? CAN IT BE STOPPED IN TIME? >> THE SCORPION IS THE WORLD’S SMALLEST KNOWN COUNTER UAS PRODUCT. MARK: SO THIS IS A DRONE DEFENSE SYSTEM. >> EXACTLY. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IT’S EVER BEEN SEEN PUBLICLY. MARK: IN THIS EXCLUSIVE DEMONSTRATION, WHITEFOX’S SCORPION DISRUPTS CONTROL OF THE DRONE IN UNDER A SECOND. >> LOST CONNECTION. MARK: SENDING IT BACK TO ITS OWNER AND AWAY FROM THE STADIUM. >> I HAVE NO CONTROLS OVER IT. MARK: THE NATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE UNIT HAS LEARNED DIFFERENT TYPES OF DRONE DEFENSE SYSTEMS ARE BEING USED RIGHT NOW BY U.S. LAW ENFORCEMENT TO PROTECT VIP’S, JUDGES, AND OTHERS AND AT THE U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY WHERE THE U.S. SECRET SERVICE TESTED A DRONE DEFENSE SYSTEM IN SEPTEMBER, ACCORDING TO DOCUMENTS WE OBTAINED. BUT YOU AREN’T LIKELY TO FIND A DRONE DEFENSE SYSTEM WHERE ONE BILLION PEOPLE WILL GATHER THIS YEAR ALONE. >> SPECIAL SECURITY ANNOUNCEMENT. MARK: A U.S. AIRPORT. >> THERE ARE MANY AIRPORTS WHO ARE SEEKING TO DEPLOY THIS TECHNOLOGY AND ARE FEELING THE PAIN OF NOT HAVING THE TECHNOLOGY. MARK: THE NUMBER OF DRONE SIGHTINGS AT AIRPORTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAS SOARED IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS, FAA DATA WE ANALYZED SHOW, SHUTTING DOWN SOME OF THE BUSIEST, SUCH AS NEWARK IN THE NEW YORK CITY AREA. >> BETWEEN THE RUNWAY AND THE FENCE. MARK: THE DRONES WERE RIGHT OVER THERE? >> YEAH. MARK: KEVIN BUMEN RUNS THE GROWING SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY AIRPORT ON CALIFORNIA’S COAST. HE SAYS HE WATCHED CLOSELY AS OTHER AIRPORTS BRIEFLY SHUT DOWN THIS YEAR AFTER DRONE SIGHTINGS. >> WHAT IF THAT HAPPENED AT OUR AIRPORT? WHAT WOULD WE DO ABOUT THAT? MARK: WHAT WOULD YOU DO? >> WELL, IT’S A REALLY INTERESTING QUESTION. TODAY WE HAVE NO TECHNOLOGY THAT WOULD TELL US THERE’S A DRONE AT A GIVEN DISTANCE FROM THE AIRPORT. MARK: YOU’RE A LITTLE BLIND. >> WE’RE COMPLETELY BLIND. MARK: BLIND BECAUSE THE FAA WON’T SAY IT’S LEGAL FOR AIRPORTS TO USE DRONE DETECTION SYSTEMS, ACCORDING TO THIS STERN LETTER SENT TO AIRPORTS THIS MAY, DUE TO UNDESIRABLE SAFETY CONCERNS. THE LETTER ALSO REMINDS AIRPORTS OF A PROHIBITION ON THEIR USE OF COUNTER DRONE SYSTEMS. FAA INSPECTORS TOLD THE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE IN OCTOBER THEY RECEIVE REPORTS OF SIGHTINGS ON A DAILY BASIS FROM AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS. YET, THE REVIEW FOUND THEY ARE POWERLESS TO DO ANYTHING. >> I DON’T SEE THAT WE NEED A DRONE DEFENSE SYSTEM AROUND AIRPORTS. MARK: FAA DIRECTOR OF SAFETY AND STANDARDS, JOHN DERMODY, TOLD US AT A DRONE SYMPOSIUM THAT PILOTS OR PASSENGERS CAN SPOT DRONES AND NOTIFY AUTHORITIES, INSTEAD. BUT HE DID ADMIT THE AGENCY’S EFFORTS MAY NOT BE ACCELERATING ENOUGH. >> WE KNOW WE’RE NOT MOVING AT THE FASTEST PACE POSSIBLE. WE KNOW THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE GUIDANCE OUT THERE. MARK: THE TSA SAYS IT ALSO KNOWS IT HAS GAPS. THIS YEAR, FOR THE FIRST TIME, IT ADDED DRONES TO ITS LIST OF SAFETY GAPS IN U.S. TRANSPORTATION. >> THERE ARE AIRPORTS INTERNATIONALLY THAT USE OUR TECHNOLOGY. MARK: DRONESHIELD’S CEO TOLD US ITS TECHNOLOGY IS USED TO KEEP PASSENGERS SAFE OVERSEAS. >> AIRPORTS. MARK: ALONG WITH RAFAEL’S DRONE DOME TECHNOLOGY, DUE TO BE DEMONSTRATED FOR THE U.S. MILITARY, WE’VE LEARNED, BEFORE THE END OF THIS YEAR IN ISRAEL. BUT HERE IN AMERICA. >> SO THIS IS A DRONE SWARM. >> WE HAVE THREE ROGUE DRONES THAT ARE NOT AUTHORIZED TO BE FLYING NEAR THIS AIRPORT. MARK: A DRONE SWARM LIKE THIS ONE APPROACHING THE SAN LUIS OBISPO AIRPORT IN CALIFORNIA WOULD MEET NO DEFENSES TO GROUND IT. IS IT A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE A DRONE DISRUPTS TRAFFIC HERE AT THIS AIRPORT? >> I THINK AT ALL AIRPORTS YOU HAVE TO SAY IT IS. MARK: DFW AIRPORT IN DALLAS-FO WORTH IS RUNNING A DRONE DEFENSE PILOT, BUT A SPOKESPERSON WOULDN’T TELL US IF IT’S BEEN SUCCESSFUL. AND WHEN WE ASKED THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY ABOUT WHAT IT’S WORKING ON, IT SENT US THIS TWO-PAGE LETTER SAYING IT HAS THE DOCUMENTS OUR PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST BUT IT WILL NOT RELEASE A SINGLE PAGE. BACK TO YOU. NIGEL: WE DID FIND OUT GSP IS NOT PART OF A DRONE DEFENSE PILOT PROGRAM. CAROL: THE FAA HAS LOGGED 12 DRONE SIGHTINGS NEAR AIRPORTS IN GREENVILLE, GREER, AND SPARTANBURG SINCE 2015. THE EIGHT IN GREENVILLE ARE THE MOST IN OUR AREA. PILOTS FLYING NEAR CHARLESTON, MYRTLE BEACH, AND COLUMBIA HAVE ALL RECORDED MORE SIGHTINGS IN THOSE CITIES. NIGEL: WE’VE CREATED AN INTERACTIVE MAP OF DRONE SIGHTINGS NEAR AIRPORTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. YOU WILL FIND IT ON