When an unmanned Navy helicopter disregarded its directions and errantly flew toward the U.S. capital last month it may have validated the concerns of many pilots, but it immediately engaged military officials who had pressing decisions to make. The Aug. 2 incident put a runaway MQ-8B Fire Scout over populated areas near busy airspace. The head of the U.S. Northern Command and NORAD, Admiral Sandy Winnefeld, was watching "very closely" as the aircraft "headed right for the heart of the national capital region." Commanders considered their options. "Do you let it run out of gas and hopefully crash in a farmer's field or do you actually take action to shoot it down?" Admiral Winnefeld told reporters. In the end, 20 minutes into the aircraft's wanderings and before scrambling F-16s, operators regained control of the helicopter. But the event, combined with regulatory issues that make spontaneous domestic drone deployment impossible, have military officials reluctantly looking backward for near-term solutions.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/news/fallout-from-the-runaway-dc-uav