- Expert says powerful device must have been used given how far machines were from land
- Online search shows large range of drone jamming and hacking electronics available for sale
The GPS jamming that caused 46 drones to plummet during a display over Victoria Harbour during the weekend caused at least HK$1 million (US$127,500) in damage, according to a senior official from the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
The incident occurred on Saturday evening at the annual Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival, where 100 drones performed a choreographed light show commemorating the event’s 10th year.
The board’s executive director, Anthony Lau Chun-hon, said on Monday it was “unfortunate” that the event had been disrupted so badly.
“These are professional drones, which are already built with technologies that would direct them back to the take-off origin,” he said. “But the signals were so strong that many of them just dropped from the air.”
Tourism board chairman Peter Lam Kin-ngok said the culprit not only upset hundreds of thousands of visitors at the wine and dine event but also damaged Hong Kong’s reputation.
“I don’t understand why the person did that to the show, which did no good to any parties,” Lam said.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Communications Authority on Monday raided two radio dealers in Sham Shui Po for suspected illegal sale of radio jammers. The enforcement operation followed regular market surveillance, the office said.
Experts questioned the security mechanisms surrounding the display, which was produced by international drone performance company SkyMagic. The Post understands that the Singapore firm has performed in more than 10 countries in Asia, the Middle East and Europe, and had never encountered any incident on this scale.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Communications Authority on Monday raided two radio dealers in Sham Shui Po for suspected illegal sale of radio jammers. The enforcement operation followed regular market surveillance, the office said.
Experts questioned the security mechanisms surrounding the display, which was produced by international drone performance company SkyMagic. The Post understands that the Singapore firm has performed in more than 10 countries in Asia, the Middle East and Europe, and had never encountered any incident on this scale.
Read the full article in the South China Morning Post: HK$1m loss after jamming attack on drone show
