Believe it or not, the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) actually has its own drone unit. This should not come as a surprise though given that Malaysia, like many other countries all over the world, has laws to regulate drone flights in the country.
In general, drones are not being allowed to be flown during certain events without prior approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM). One recent example is the second semi-final match for Piala Malaysia between Selangor and JDT at Stadium Shah Alam last weekend.
From the video footage and images that have circled around the Internet recently, it seemed that someone has flown a drone without proper authorization at the stadium. Hence, the PDRM drone unit sprang into action:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8KrsHH09c8
Local football site, SemuanyaBola has pointed out that the drone gun that the PDRM drone unit has used at Stadium Shah Alam was made by a Singaporean company, TRD. Called Orion-H, it appears able to disrupt a drone from a distance of up to 1km and has also been seen at other occasions earlier this year including Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) exhibition and the coronation of Yang Di-Pertuan Agong.
Meanwhile, the PDRM drone unit has also been seen carrying another anti-drone system from TRD called Orion-7 ++. The specs sheet over at TRD’s official website stated that this particular system is able to target a drone at up to 2km.
Meanwhile, if you already attracted to the newly announced Mavic Mini and wondering whether you need to register it with CAAM, the answer is likely no.
This is because Mavic Mini is significantly lighter than CAAM’s minimum weight requirement of 20kg although you still need to obtain CAAM’s authorization if you planning to fly the drone at a height of more than 400 feet (~121.9 meter) or utilize it as a surveillance drone.
Of course, don’t fly it into restricted airspace or events as well. Else, it is quite possible that your drone could become the target of PDRM’s drone unit.
(Main Image: Malaysian Navy’s HQ Western Fleet.)
