Earlier this year, a drone paralyzed the entire Gatwick airport. But what happens if a drone hits a plane? There are various opinions around this subject, they range from “minimal risk” (like a bird hitting a plane), all the way to “total disaster”. Fraunhofer Institute in Germany ran some studies to solve that question. Image credit: Fraunhofer EMI Drone Crash Against a Wall? The drone business has become enormous, and security concerns regarding their usage are continuing to grow. One of the best examples is the introduction of many “no-fly-zones,” but they are not unbreakable. Every year new rules and new regulations are popping up all over the world, often inconsistent. These rules are trying to solve security and safety issues, especially regarding the air traffic in the sky between drones and airplanes. A German research institute – Fraunhofer EMI – is trying to simulate real impact scenarios between a drone and a plane. To do that, they built a unique test bench. In this bench, they threw a drone with a maximum three kilograms at various speeds – up to 500 Mph – against an eight millimeters thick aluminum plate. And the results are pretty scary. Image credit: Fraunhofer EMI No surprises, the drone ends up in a million pieces. The Fraunhofer EMI states: There were substantial deformation and indentation of the plates, and the drone battery and engine were completely destroyed. Tests in this weight class of drone have never been carried out before. These drone crash tests will be useful for...
Published By: CineD - Wednesday, 17 July, 2019