Measures against Drone Attacks by Terrorists

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether key installations such as Changi Airport and oil refineries in Jurong Island are sufficiently protected against drone attacks by terrorists; and (b) whether the security and law enforcement agencies are equipped with counter-drone capabilities to deter illegal use of drones to cause harm or invade on privacy.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what are the policies and ground efforts to leverage on emerging technologies to counter drones; and (b) whether there will be a review of existing regulations on radio frequency signal jammers to enhance counter-drone measures.

Mr K Shanmugam: Under the Air Navigation Act (ANA), unmanned aircraft are prohibited from flying within five kilometres of any airport, and over security-sensitive locations, without a permit. This covers Changi Airport and Jurong Island. Law enforcement officers can also end the flight or assume control of an unmanned aircraft, if it poses a risk to the public or is flown in a way that contravenes regulations under the ANA.

Enforcement agencies have been building up their capability to counter safety and security threats posed by unmanned aircraft. This includes the ability to detect and identify the unmanned aircraft, locate its operator, or take down the aircraft safely.

IMDA’s existing regulatory framework already allows equipment such as signal jammers to be imported and used for counter-drone measures carried out by enforcement agencies.