7 Ways How To Hide From Drones

7-ways-to-hide-from-drones
image: gizmodo.com

Hiding from Drones

Drones are equipped with extremely powerful camera’s which can detect people and vehicles at an altitude of several miles. Most drones are equipped with night vision, and/or infrared vision camera’s, so-called FLIR sensors. These can see human heat signatures from far away, day or night. However there are ways to help hide from drones…


 
Regardless of the methods you might use to hide your heat signature from drones, be aware that in many instances you may be only reducing your thermal heat signature – perhaps enough to be ignored – but never assume it.

 
1. Day camouflage: Hide in the shadows of buildings or trees. Use thick forests as natural camouflage or use camouflage nets. Using netting over vehicles and camo patterns for other objects that confuse vision recognition systems. Currently the best such camo pattern is known as A-TACS.

2. Night camouflage: Hide inside buildings or under protection of trees or foliage. Do not use flashlights or vehicle spot lights, even at long distances. Drones can easily spot this during night missions.

3. Heat camouflage: Emergency blankets (so-called space blankets) made of Mylar can block infrared rays. Wearing a space blanket as a poncho at night will help hide some of your heat signature from infrared detection. Also in summer when the background temperature is between 96°F and 104°F, infrared camera’s have more difficulty distinguishing between body temperature (98.6) and it’s surroundings.

4. Wait for bad weather. Drones cannot operate in high winds, smoke, rainstorms or heavy weather conditions.

5. No wireless communication. Using mobile phones or GPS based communication will possibly compromise your location.

6. Spreading reflective pieces of glass or mirrored material on a car on a roof will confuse the drone’s camera.

7. Decoys. Use mannequins or human-sized dolls to mislead the drone’s reconnaissance.

 
How To Block IR-Infrared Thermal Imaging

 

Hacking Drones

Drones are remote controlled. The pilots operating the drone can be thousands of miles away at Ground Control stations. The control link is the satellite transmitted datalink by which the pilot controls the plane. By jamming or intercepting the datalink, one can interfere with the drones controls. The data link can be encrypted but often is not.

1. Interception. A sophisticated technique is using sky grabber software with a satellite dish and a TV tuner to intercept the drone’s frequencies. Communication from and to the drone can be intercepted.

2. Interference. By broadcasting on different frequencies or pack of frequencies the link between the drone pilot and the drone can be disconnected.

3. GPS spoofing. Small, portable GPS transmitters can send fake GPS signals and disrupt the Drones navigation systems. This can be used, for example, to steer drones into self-destruction flight paths or even hijack them and land them on a runway.

 

21st century birdwatching

Our ancestors could spot natural predators from far by their silhouettes. Are we equally aware of the predators in the present-day? Drones are remote-controlled planes that can be used for anything from surveillance and deadly force, to rescue operations and scientific research. Most drones are used today by military powers for remote-controlled surveillance and attack, and their numbers are growing. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) predicted in 2012 that within 20 years there could be as many as 30.000 drones flying over U.S. Soil alone. As robotic birds will become commonplace in the near future, we should be prepared to identify them. This survival guide is an attempt to familiarise ourselves and future generations, with a changing technological environment.

This document contains the silhouettes of the most common drone species used today and in the near future. Each indicating nationality and whether they are used for surveillance only or for deadly force. All drones are drawn in scale for size indication. From the smallest consumer drones measuring less than 1 meter, up to the Global Hawk measuring 39,9 meter in length.

Drone Survival Guide

 
Sources:
‘Health Ranger’s intelligence analysis of military drones: payloads, countermeasures and more’ by naturalnews.com
‘The Al-Qaida Papers – Drones’, found by The Associated Press in buildings occupied by al-Qaida fighters in Timbuktu, Mali.
‘Evading Thermal Imaging And Radar Detection’, United States Militia, Special Forces.
‘Drone Survival Guide’, dronesurvivalguide.org

 
DISCLAIMER This is for information purposes only, with the intent of free distribution of publicly available information.

24 Comments

  1. Great novel about drones titled “Kill Decision” by Daniel Suarez. Came out about a year ago. Main theme is drones using autonomous kill decision software and cutting human control out. Seems that has recently come to pass. Art imitating life (or end of life)? His previous two novels are also becoming reality. Scary.

  2. I was thinking one could use a Manequin, line it with tin foil, put a sterno in it, then cut a hole in the top of the head to let the heat out. It should give a heat signature and outline of a person. Then one could go in another direction before the Hellfire missile hits the target.

    Predator drones fly 8-12k feet, they can even see gunfire on the ground.
    These will be tough to beat….

  3. Don’t underestimate the capability of FLIR systems. While people have been lead to understand these as detecting differences in temperature, that is not technically correct. They detect the emission of heat from an object and create images from the differences in heat emissions. There are actually two factors to the IR emission from an object: the object’s temperature AND the coefficient of emissivity for the object. Color, texture, surface material and more cause variations in the emissivity for something. If this was not the case, then IR pictures of say the woods would just be one solid image — but you have all seen IR pictures or videos and indeed you can discern trees, roads, leaves, out buildings, fences, utility poles etc. How can that be when all those items are at the exact same temperature at night? They all release differing amounts of IR based upon differing emissivity for those. Even if the outside temp is exactly 98.6 degrees F you can still be seen on FLIR because your clothing, skin, hair etc will likely stand out against trees and leaves because of different emissions of IR heat. Hiding under a space blanket or silvered tarp may indeed shield detection of a person beneath it, but the poncho/tarp/blanket will quite likely stand out from it’s surroundings. It actually needs an emissivity camo pattern to blend into the woods.

    1. Very true. Modern IR is not the green blobs of Vietnam era starlight scopes. The resolution is good enough to recognize individual people, and spot the most subtle changes that eyes cant see. In the big sandpit, they use them to find buried IEDs, because the density of the soil is no longer the same as the soil around it. Your eyes wouldnt see it, but they can. Operators commonly use IR 24/7, even in full daylight, as it provides more information than visible light cameras.

    2. Right I took 2 camo tarps and sand witches a double space blanket between . Also make a giilly attachments .

  4. couple a days ago, was watching some show on t.v., and they said that glass, as in glass windows, glass sheeting, was effective at confusing/defeating infra red. no idea if this is so. wondering if it is, if this would be effective at defeating drones? what exactly are they using?

    1. MWIR (3-5um) is the most common IR they have on drones. At that frequency, the glass is like a mirror, and nothing gets through(all reflected).
      But, at other frequencies or IR(that require larger lenses and camera bodies, and hence larger aircraft to carry them) they dont have this limitation.

      1. I was told Teflon sheets over items in the home that you don’t want the drones to see, would make it like it was looking at the floor. If so, do you know anything about the thickness needed? Could you please direct me to someone who would know this?

        thanks

  5. FYI…

    This article gives half truths smattered with inaccuracies.

    If you follow this advice like gospel you will die…

  6. Seems to be a LOT more information that you are offering “fly-by”
    If your so smart “fly-by” why don’t you write and article and submit to Ken and have it posted?
    Thinking your the GuyWhoKnowsToMuch that’s more like someone that goes around and banishes others. Nice try, go away.
    NRP

  7. I need advice. I have been stalked for 11 months or longer . I know s of the end of Jan 2017 is when I first became aware . It took lots of convincing to even convince family and friends that I was not hallucinating or losing my mind. After a few friends devoting an all night mission to get footage and basically a legit witness I have a few people who know that it’s happening. In the beginning I notified the local law enforcement. I know who the pilot is and scary is N understatmemt I need someone who is very educated in drones to assist me on how to prove this . I am scared and very sick of being terrorized please help
    PS. This post was made December 12 , 2017

    1. Frankly if law enforcement wont do anything then I am not sure what you can do. If it were me, I would shoot it down. Now the perpetrator is not likely to call the police when you do this as this would likely get him into trouble since you had already reported him. The other option is to file a restraining order. Then when the drone shows up, call the police. He can be arrested for violating the restraining order.

      1. Given the time of flight of most cheaper drones by the time the police show up that drone is back home recharging. I asked the local police and they said “Don’t you have a shotgun and bird shot?” They were very clear Buckshot would not be acceptable to the responding Officers.

        Personally I suspect an Pellet Rifle would damage a civilian drone enough to discourage the owner but you did say he was scary so…..

        Restraining order and ask if video evidence would be acceptable to prove drone harassment. If not then I would think of moving.

      2. Buy your own drone
        Wait a spell for his air time to run low
        Follow his drone to HIS location
        Now u have intell on Him

    2. Be very careful before taking advice to shoot down a drone. Not only does it open you up for liable if your bullet /s hit an unintended target (what goes up must come down…somewhere), but shooting a drone, believe it or not, is a federal crime, as it is considered an aircraft no different than any other, falling under the rules and protection of the FAA. An exception might be if it presented an clear threat of bodily harm or death (dive bombing you). As distasteful as it seems, property owners don’t “own” the airspace above their homes and cannot control trespass of it.

      Your best bet, in my opinion, is pursuing the stalking angle, but due to the labor intensive nature of proving such a complaint, the gathering of evidence would more than likely be up to you. Start with filing a restraining order on the perpetrator if you have enough proof. The most the police,, acting on your complaint, can do is contact the suspect and confront him with your suspicions. You will have started a paper trail, and if the harassment continues or increases, you will have a better chance of proving the stalking charges.

      1. Vanna and all

        how about some cheap helium filled party balloons? If drone appears over one’s home, go out and release a few helium balloons…maybe they will float up and tip it over…(accidently releasing balloons happens all the time….)

  8. Most drones that I have seen Look forward and down . Maybe a strong blast from a garden hose could bring it down then Bar=b-Q the thing or maybe a trip to the nearest river will solve the matter . I doubt the purp would try to raise a fuss . Evidence often has a way leaving the scene ;

    1. Oh, they raise a fuss, and usually get what they want. Destruction of property comes before your right to privacy, unfortunately.

  9. You can get a drone jammer. It jams the signal of the drone and crashes it.

  10. Saw one few days ago hovering up above my space. The buzzing sound is what gave it away as I’m the only one making noises there (ya, my job makes so much noise that people wouldn’t want to be near but I can tell if the noise isn’t mine)
    A slingshot or a bola will get it if I ever see it again.

  11. You are describing how to avoid a MILITARY type drone. why should any American worry if
    the Fed. Govt. is watching me?

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