Isis Use of Hobby Drones as Weapons Tests Chinese Makers

China’s world-leading drone industry faces a burgeoning problem: its recreational aircraft, in addition to taking breathtaking clifftop selfies, are being used by terrorists to kill people.
Isis revealed its weaponised drone capabilities in a January video. Since then, says Steve Stalinsky of Memri, a Middle East media think-tank, “we have been seeing almost daily Isis drone attacks, sometimes several times a day, against many different targets”, FT reports.
Bombmaking workshops run by Isis have weaponised X-8s and other drones such as the Phantom, made by Shenzhen-based DJI, the world’s largest commercial dronemaker. Some hobby drones now boast formidable capabilities, with 7km ranges and payloads up to 40kg.
The first X-8 in a conflict zone was spotted in 2015 by Kurdish forces near the Mosul Dam in Iraq, while in October 2016 a bomb-laden X-8 killed two Kurdish soldiers and injured two French commandos in the same area, according to Sahan Research, a UK-based think-tank.
Other materials on this subject
- Pompeo: US "Will Continue to Lead" Fight Against Islamic State "The United States will continue to lead the coalition and the world on this essential security effort," Pompeo said as he opened a day of talks in Washington.
- Turkish Police Detain 7 Over ISIS Links One suspect is believed to be responsible for ISIS training camps that train some 2000 foreign militants per year, the daily said citing a statement by Turkey's interior ministry.
- Pentagon Chief Urges Turkey to Stay Focused on Fighting Islamic State Relations between the United States and Turkey, allies within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, have become frayed by their diverging interests in the Syrian civil war.
- US Will Maintain Military Presence in Syria after the Defeat of IS "We cannot make the same mistakes that were made in 2011," Tillerson said to an audience that included former Secretaries of State Condoleezza Rice and George Shultz, noting that the Islamic State and...
- Iraq Declares War With Islamic State Is Over Iraq's announcement comes two days after the Russian military declared it had accomplished its mission of defeating IS in neighbouring Syria.
-
13:15
Our Position Remains Unchanged – Armenia’s Catholicos on PM’s Resignation
-
12:09
Three More Bodies Found During Search Operations, Artsakh Emergency Service Says
-
11:07
Armenia Records 166669 Confirmed Coronavirus Cases
-
10:41
This Year We Celebrate the Army Day with the Pain of the Tragic Consequences of the War in Our Souls: Karekin II
-
10:22
Message by Third President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on the Occasion of Army Day
-
10:00
Some Roads are Closed and Difficult to Pass in Armenia
-
19:56
Russian and Armenian FMs Discuss Implementation of Karabakh Deals
-
19:51
PM Receives Iran’s Foreign Minister
-
19:12
"Armenia’s Territorial Integrity is Our Red Line" – Iranian FM Says in Yerevan
-
17:14
No Incidents Recorded at Armenian-Azerbaijani LoC, Says Defense Ministry
-
16:42
Nikol Pashinyan: “From this February 1, Our Citizens Can Travel to Russia”
-
16:24
Putin, Biden Hold First Phone Call at Moscow’s Initiative: Kremlin
-
15:50
Ararat Mirzoyan Meets with Russian Ambassador
-
15:04
5-Day Weather Forecast in Armenia
-
14:09
Outcome of Azeri Aggression Can’t Create Grounds for Lasting Peace: Ara Aivazian
-
11:18
Armenia Records 166427 Confirmed Coronavirus Cases
-
10:52
Armenia, Iran FMs' Private Conversation Kicks Off
-
09:39
Some Roads are Closed and Difficult to Pass in Armenia
-
00:43
Vladimir Putin Had a Telephone Conversation with Joseph Biden
-
00:19
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif Arrived in Armenia
day
week
month
-
12:46
Lavrov: No Provocations Against Russian Peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh
-
10:50
Azerbaijan President's Statement Contradicts point 8 of Statement Signed on November 9, 2020: Arman Tatoyan
-
18:57
Artsakh Authorities Find More Bodies of Fallen Troops in Ongoing Search Operations
-
16:40
Colorado Identifies First Known Case of UK Coronavirus Variant in US
-
17:50
Biden Names Ike Hajinazarian as White House Regional Communications Director
-
09:05
Armenia to Import 2,250 Goods from Iran Instead of Turkey
-
12:57
Biden Administration to Have Another American Armenian Official
-
23:23
Let's Believe that 2021 Will Restore Our Lost Dignity
-
17:53
Armenian, Azerbaijani Intelligence Chiefs Discuss PoW Exchange at Moscow-Mediated Meeting
-
23:02
We Will Continue to Fight to Make Your Dreams Come True: Garo Paylan about Hrant Dink
Humidity: 59%
Wind: 3 km/h