Mexico gears up to counter drone threats during World Cup | OneFootball

The Mexican Army is preparing to counter the threat of unauthorized drones in the stadiums that will host the matches of the World Cup, which will be held from June 11 to July 19 this year.

Enhanced Protection

The military is paying special attention to this protection system after drug cartels used drones to attack specific areas of the country affected by organized crime violence.

These areas are far from Mexico City (center), Guadalajara (west), and Monterrey (north), the three hosts of the football championship in the country.

In a demonstration at a military field in Mexico City on Tuesday, soldiers showcased the anti-drone equipment that will be used in the Mexican stadiums where 13 of the 104 World Cup matches will be played.

Drone inhibition “will occur in the stadiums and wherever there are crowds, which could be the ‘Fan Fest’ or any point where people gather,” said Army Captain José Alfredo Lara, a communications and electronics engineer, to AFP.

The Equipment

The military will use two types of anti-drone equipment during the tournament. The first is a semi-fixed system to establish a perimeter within which “no unauthorized drone will be able to fly.”

The other is a portable system that a soldier can manipulate to move to where the unauthorized device is located.

Once the equipment locates the drone, it cuts the communication between the command and the device. “The equipment completely loses control and will not be able to approach,” explained Lara.

If inhibited and depending on its configuration, the device may move away, try to exit the range of inhibition, or completely lose control.

Known Threat

According to the captain, about five years ago, the use of drones began to gain more relevance in the country, and the Army decided to take measures “to mitigate this type of threat.”

The Sinaloa, Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), and La Familia Michoacana cartels have drones in their arsenal.

*Content produced by AFP

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.