No, it’s not a good idea to shoot at New Jersey’s ‘mystery drone’

Why shooting New Jersey’s ‘mystery drone’ is a bad idea

Written by Lee Billings

As reports of mysterious drones flying over the northeastern U.S. skyrocket, so too does the seemingly common-sense response: “Well, why not shoot them down?”

The sightings, which reportedly began over northern New Jersey about a month ago, have now spread to surrounding states, including New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland, and have been reported to have satisfied local, state and federal authorities. Many people have questions because they don’t seem to have answers. Civil servants and ordinary citizens alike feel dissatisfied and helpless. In response, a bipartisan group of lawmakers began calling for more aggressive action. President-elect Donald Trump echoed similar sentiments, saying in a post on Truth Social last Friday that if there is no proper explanation from the government, the next step should be “Shoot them down!!!” I wrote.

Dear reader, it’s a real shame to try to shoot down these unidentified flying objects at the risk of being seen as politically biased or “complicit” in drone-related conspiracy theories. It is our duty to inform you that this is a terrible idea. Please stop—and do not have This is because if a “drone” is a messenger from an alien super-civilization, then shooting a drone could be interpreted as an act of interstellar warfare.

About supporting science journalism

If you enjoyed this article, please consider supporting our award-winning journalism. Currently subscribing. By subscribing, you help ensure future generations of influential stories about the discoveries and ideas that shape the world today.

Here’s why:

Many of these “drones” aren’t drones at all

While some of the sightings are almost certainly real drones being operated by unknown parties for unknown reasons, the FBI says most of the thousands of drone reports in New Jersey This is consistent with the misidentification of a manned aircraft. “When you overlay the sightings reported to the FBI with the approach patterns at Newark Liberty, JFK, and LaGuardia airports, the density of reported sightings is much higher than at these highly congested airports, where planes arrive throughout the night. consistent with the approach pattern of the airport,” FBI officials said. He said this at a White House media briefing on Saturday. “This modeling shows that manned aviation is frequently mistaken for unmanned aviation or UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems).”

To illustrate how easy it is for most people to make this kind of mistake, look no further than New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim. He met with officials at Round Valley Reservoir last Thursday night to see the phenomenon firsthand. Kim and his fellow observers noted multiple sightings, many of which were captured on video. However, a more detailed analysis revealed that the potential drone was actually just an airplane. Kim helpfully explained in a series of social media posts. Similarly, the next day, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan posted about a dozen drones that had flown over his home the night before. Later, it seems that they all turned out to be ordinary celestial bodies, such as Mars or the bright star Sirius.

Physics is not on our side, what goes up must come down

Sure, taking potshots at another planet from your backyard may seem harmless. Bullets, slugs and pellets cannot reach escape velocity, much less travel through interplanetary space to reach distant targets. But precisely because of our inability to break Earth’s inhospitable bonds, any ballistic projectile fired upwards will fall to the surface, where it can easily cause very real and potentially deadly harm. .

Of course, firing at actual objects flying through Earth’s atmosphere is also a risky proposition. In this particular case, there have been numerous reports of apparent misidentification of manned aircraft flying at relatively low altitudes and speeds after takeoff or during landing approaches at nearby airports. Generally speaking, while such situations favor a hit with conventional firearms, the probability of a hit is still low; for example, if a rifle bullet hits a commercial airliner about to land Would you like to be in charge of Newark?

If you’re particularly physics-savvy, you might consider firing something faster and more seemingly harmless, like a laser beam, at the suspected drone. However, while most lasers do not puncture the fuselage, they can confuse aircraft crews and unmanned vehicle sensors, creating a dangerous situation. (And, sadly, reports of drones already appear to be causing this type of laser “glare” to planes flying over New Jersey. Perhaps people on the ground are trying to aim the planes at them with laser pointers. ) In addition to lasers, there are other electromagnetic waves. Effects such as radio bursts can also confuse aircraft navigation systems and are often used in military drone jamming techniques. However, they can also have dangerous consequences.

Via bullets or photons, in the worst case, such an external influence could cause an aircraft (be it a plane full of passengers or some kind of secret drone) to crash in an uncontrollable descent. This effectively turns what was most likely a safe but creepy object in the sky into a fuel-laden (or battery-laden) missile that plummets towards the ground, causing other objects to fly in flight. It would turn into a real threat, with the potential to collide with aircraft and create sparks. There will be a fire where it falls.

The law is not on your side either.

Because of all these very real risks, the United States prohibits civilians from interfering with, damaging, or destroying an aircraft in flight if it is unidentified and traveling over private property. Even if there is, it is a criminal offense. Firing a firearm into the air is also generally illegal and is considered “reckless discharge of a firearm.”

Therefore, do not try to shoot down the drone. Or at least leave such tasks to the authorities. Meanwhile, consider becoming more familiar with the wonders of the night sky, whether natural or man-made. It turns out that most of them are quite beautiful and not at all threatening.