In what appears to be a real-life repeat of Orson Wells’ 1938 panic-inducing radio play “The War of the Worlds” resident of New Jersey have reported sighting what appear to be multiple objects flying or hovering over sensitive or strategic locations in the state.

In Paramount’s 1953 movie version of the story armies used every weapon at their disposal – guns, bazookas, tanks, and more – in an effort to stop aliens from taking over the Earth. In New Jersey people have considered shooting down the objects, believed to be drones. However, the FAA reminded them that shooting down drones is illegal, while New Jersey’s Governor told residents it’s the Federal Government’s job to deal with the problem.

Surely the US military has a weapon to capture, immobilize, or destroy drones…right?

They sure do:

Designed and built by Flex Force of Portland, Oregon, the Dronebuster provides up to 10 hours continuous jamming of Unmanned Arial Systems (UAS) with a maximum effective range of up to 300% of the distance between the UAS and its’ control station. In 2017 their price was $30,000 each.

(For comparison, one of the best consumer drones on the market having a built-in camera is the DJI Mavic 3 Pro, with a flight time of up to 43 minutes and an effective radio control range of up to 15 km (9.3 miles) in unobstructed open air. The price is from $2,150 to $5,000 depending on style and options.)

The Block 3 version of Dronebuster is even smaller and easier to carry.

So, why aren’t they using them?

Thanks for Reading!