The Defense Department has created a new project called Thunderstorm, requesting information on technologies that can interdict or destroy drones, especially in large numbers. The Pentagon is planning a technology demonstration for sometime in mid-2015.
It’s clear the the Pentagon’s focus on the emerging drone threat is, in part, fueled by the growing prevalence of unmanned systems in the United States. Research from the University of Texas projects that in less than a decade there will be 30,000 unmanned aircraft in U.S. skies. The proliferation of these types of systems means that hostile nations, terrorist groups, or other unfriendly organizations, will soon possess them.