The FAA Apparently Needs To Remind Users Not To Weaponize Their Drones

The drones that are designed for consumer use typically come with a camera attached to it. However, in theory, if you could attach a camera, you could attach all manner of objects, including weapons like guns, a flamethrower, and so on. Obviously this is illegal but apparently it’s not a fact that is obvious to some.

So much so that the FAA had to issue a notice on its website where they are reminding drone owners that they should not be weaponizing their drones. According to the FAA, “Operating a drone that has a dangerous weapon attached to it is a violation of Section 363 of the 2018 FAA Reauthorization Act enacted Oct. 5, 2018.”

They add that any drone operators who are caught could face fines of up to $25,000 per violation. “Operators are subject to civil penalties up to $25,000 for each violation, unless the operator has received specific authorization from the Administrator of the FAA to conduct the operation. ‘Dangerous Weapon’ means any item that is used for, or is readily capable of, causing death or serious bodily injury.”

To be fair, we haven’t really heard any stories about consumer drones outfitted with weapons terrorizing cities (military drones are a different story), but in case you thought that maybe it would be a “cool” mod to do, you might want to rethink that.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Robots
Tags: Drones, faa, Legal