State Comptroller: Israel is not adapting its defense to the rate of development of the threat from drones

State Comptroller Judge (retired) Yosef Haim Shapira, today published a special report: "The national preparation for defense against the threat of drones". The report deals with the national preparation for defense against the threat of drones, in order to improve the response to this threat and reduce the risk arising from it

State Comptroller Judge (retired) Yosef Haim Shapira, today published a special report: "The national preparation for defense against the threat of drones". The report deals with the national preparation for defense against the threat of drones, in order to improve the response to this threat and reduce the risk arising from it.

Drones - unmanned aerial vehicles operated remotely - have been used in recent years for both civilian and security needs. Along with the growing benefits from the use of drones, the risk of their misuse in the security, criminal and safety aspects has increased, to the point of harming individual modesty, human life and the security of the state.

This report deals with the national preparation for the defense against the threat of drones, the authority and responsibility of the bodies related to this issue and the gaps that exist regarding the regulation of the use of drones - all this in order to improve the response to this threat and reduce the risk arising from it.

According to the estimate of the Civil Aviation Authority - RTA, the number of drones in Israel is expected to reach about 20,000 by the end of the year. In the background of this, their price reduction, the simplicity of their operation, the improvement of their capabilities and the availability of their procurement channels.

State Comptroller Judge (retired) Yosef Haim Shapira ordered an audit in this area as early as possible. This is in light of the fact that previous audits (such as the audit regarding dealing with the threat of the tunnels) indicated that sometimes the handling of emerging threats did not shock the rate of their development, their severity and the risks arising from them. As a result, the early preparation for them was not good enough.

The audit revealed that since the threat began to emerge, the national responsibility for responding to the threat of drones originating in the country's territory has not yet been regulated - for the past two and a half years, staff work has been carried out in the MAL for the purpose of regulating the responsibility for protection against the threat of drones. However, the cabinet has not yet made a decision on the matter, and the national responsibility for dealing with the threat of drones has not yet been established. It was settled, the auditor points out. "As a result, in the last two and a half years there has actually been a vacuum in this area: no adequate response has been given." the National Defense against the threat of drones originating in the territory of the State of Israel, and the risk of harming the state's security increases."

"Despite the continuation of the work of the headquarters and even after receiving a government decision it is expected that it will take a long time until it is implemented, and despite the increased risk from the threat of drones in recent years," states the auditor, "the MLA did not put forward to the Prime Minister a recommendation to appoint a body that would be responsible for dealing with the threat This is at the national level temporarily, until the full implementation of the government's decision when it is accepted."

The auditor also states that there are gaps in the regulation of the use of drones. "The enforcement measures provided to RTA, both administrative and criminal, do not provide an optimal response to the need for effective enforcement of the Pilot Law on drone operators. In this situation there is a risk of damage to aviation safety."

"On the one hand, the Minister of Internal Security did not authorize RTA inspectors to exercise investigative powers for the purpose of criminal enforcement of the provisions of the Pilot Law," the auditor notes, "and on the other hand, the police do not consider themselves responsible for enforcing all the offenses listed in the law, but only in 'specific incidents' . Moreover, the police closes investigation files related to the operation of drones on the grounds that RTA is authorized to investigate these crimes, even though the police are aware that such authorization does not exist for RTA inspectors in practice. It therefore follows that criminal enforcement of the provisions of the Aviation Law regarding drones is not carried out as required."

"The multitude of drones in the country's skies carries a safety risk, among other things, to the safety of civil aviation," it says, "however, the Aviation Law does not require the registration of drones used for recreational or sports purposes, which are the absolute majority of drones operated in Israel. Thus, the proportion of drones Those registered as required by the Pilot Law are marginal compared to all the drones operated in Israel."

Although the issue of protection against the threat of drones has been in staff work since March 2015, and even though the Ministry of Internal Security, the police and the Shin Bet indicated the need to improve the regulation of the use of drones as a complementary tool to deal with the developing threat - these bodies did not hold an exhaustive discussion on the issue of applying the registration obligation to all drones to deal with the security threat, it says.

The IDF is not ready either

"The Air Force still does not have a complete response to protect against the threat of drones," states the State Comptroller. "Although in the IDF the work of the headquarters to protect against the threat of drones continues, the processes of building the force and the processes of using the force in this area as part of a multi-year plan have not yet been determined, and in any case have not been approved or budgeted. Due to the IDF's assessment that the threat of drones is a developing, unique and worrisome threat, and due to the fact that the IDF does not yet have a complete response to the threat, the risk increases that the use of drones by the enemy will remain without a satisfactory response."

"Upon making a decision in the Security-Political Cabinet on the matter, the MLA should complete the headquarters' work on the matter as soon as possible and start as early as possible the long and complex process of preparing at the national level to respond to the threat of drones in its various aspects," recommends the auditor. "The MLA should present to the head The government and the cabinet, as soon as possible, the assessments of the various bodies regarding the continuation of the government's decision, so that the issue of criminal enforcement does not fall between The chairs and the laws of the flight will be enforced as required, the RTA and the police must complete as soon as possible the determination of work procedures and the division of responsibilities between them."

"It is of great importance that the IDF work to complete as soon as possible the work of the headquarters on the issue of preparing to defend against the threat of drones originating outside of Israel and also work to allocate the necessary resources to this in order to advance the response to the defense against the threat," recommends the auditor in conclusion. "This may help formulate the response To protect against the threat of drones originating in the territory of the country.

Dealing with the threat requires an integrated national action by the security, law enforcement and regulatory agencies. It is necessary to start as early as possible in the long and complex process of preparing at the national level to respond to the threat in its various aspects.

Despite the assessment in the IDF that the threat of drones is evolving, unique and worrisome, the IDF does not have the complete answer required for this threat. The IDF must as soon as possible complete the work of its internal headquarters to protect against the threat of drones originating outside the territory of the country in order to promote the formulation of the answer, while making sure to coordinate with the other bodies relevant to the issue of the threat of drones and in cooperation with them."

There is no effective enforcement of the flight laws on drone operators, thus creating a risk of damage to aviation safety - in 2016, 24 safety incidents involving drones occurred in Israel, compared to 14 incidents in 2015, which means an increase of about 70%.

The IDF does not have a complete answer to deal with the threat of drones. It is required that the IDF quickly complete the work of the headquarters that it is carrying out on the subject in order to promote the formulation of the answer to the threat of drones that originate outside the territory of the country.

The work of the headquarters should be coordinated with the other bodies relevant to the drone threat issue and in cooperation with them. Coordinated headquarters work will also help in formulating the response to the defense against the threat of the drones originating in the territory of the state, thus avoiding duplication of efforts, duplication of budgets and deviation from schedules for the required preparation.

The airspace of the State of Israel is limited and maintaining it is very complex and requires the imposition of many restrictions on the flight of civilian aircraft, including drones. Terrorist and criminal elements that use drones should not be ignored either. In this state of affairs, the relevant bodies, headed by the political-security cabinet, must study this report and act without delay to correct the deficiencies noted in it. Mainly to regulate the areas of national responsibility regarding the handling of the threat of drones and to improve the response to this threat, at the same time as maintaining the ability to exhaust the benefits inherent in the use of drones in the civilian and security fields.

In order to maintain the security of the state, the sub-committee of the State Audit Committee of the Knesset, in accordance with Section 17 of the State Auditor Law, imposed confidentiality on data from the report. This confidentiality does not prevent the understanding of the essence of the review.

The potential for damage in a collision between a drone and an aircraft has increased

Eran Ramot, head of the Center for Aviation Research at the Fisher Institute, former fighter pilot, test pilot and pilot at Elel: The potential for damage in a collision between a drone and an airplane increases as the size and weight of these aircraft increases. An impact of a drone on a large passenger plane could significantly damage the engine or the body of the plane and endanger the safety of the flight. Penetration of a jet engine, even a small one, can paralyze the engine. A glider hit by a light aircraft could shatter the window, cause damage to the structure or damage the engine. The well-known incident of the plane that took off in New York and encountered a flock of geese that destroyed its engines and forced it to land on the Hudson River, is just an example of the damage that a rigid object like a drone can cause.

During the past year, there have already been cases around the world in which drones flown near airports hit planes that were in the process of taking off or landing, when the plane is at a relatively low speed and close to the ground, which further increases the risk of a disaster occurring. Performing evasive maneuvers if a drone is observed near the aircraft at speed and at low altitude may, under certain conditions, cause a real danger of stalling and loss of control.

The use of drones, their size, the flight heights of their activity, the ability to carry weight and the variety of tasks they are able to perform has increased drastically in recent years. Private users can buy heavy drones in a simple and relatively cheap way - and they are seen by them as a "toy" for leisure time - and in fact they have advanced capabilities and a significant weight (up to 25 kg). They sometimes operate them even without awareness in areas that endanger the planes. The ways To reduce the danger in the vicinity of airplanes is divided into several actions: increasing the radius of the flight ban around airports and low flight paths for access or The sight of them, increased regulation, enforcement and punishment for those who break the law, use of technological means and other global developments to disrupt drone activity in certain areas and more.

The Air Force has a mantra taken from its war on birds: 'If we don't have the budget or ability to deal with the phenomenon, the accident will come that will exact a much higher price.' The potential damage from drones deserves a determined fight by all parties."