‘Sentry drone’ warning system to help ‘Hong Kong low-altitude economy fly high’

A new “sentry drone” system is expected to help Hong Kong’s low-altitude economy fly high, providing early alerts about navigation signal interference to ensure flight safety and reduce accidents, the transport minister has said.

Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan offered the upbeat assessment in a post on her weekly blog on Saturday, saying she had recently taken a look at the system, developed by local company Aerovision Technology, which has applied for a Chinese patent covering Hong Kong.

The “Sentry Drone System for Early Alert of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Interference” uses innovative AI algorithms to patrol designated drone operating areas and provide warnings to operators to ensure flight safety.

A GNSS is susceptible to interference such as jamming, spoofing – where malicious fake signals are transmitted to deceive a receiver – and certain solar effects, which may endanger flight safety and can lead to major accidents.

“We are confident that once this system successfully ‘takes off’, it will reduce safety risks associated with drone flights, allowing us to discuss lowering drone insurance premiums with the insurance industry, ultimately benefiting the entire low-altitude economy,” Chan said.

She said that the project overcame satellite navigation limitations and geographical challenges by deploying sentry drones as a vanguard for regular missions by unmanned aircraft.