Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


US Bars Drones Over Nuclear Sites for Security Reasons

by Reuters

   WASHINGTON --

   The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday it will bar drone
   flights over seven major U.S. nuclear sites, including Los Alamos
   National Laboratory in New Mexico.

   The move is the latest in a series of growing restrictions on unmanned
   aerial vehicles over U.S. sites that have national security
   implications.

   The new restrictions begin Dec. 29 and include the Hanford Site in
   Washington State, Idaho National Laboratory, Savannah River National
   Laboratory in South Carolina, Pantex Site in Texas, and the Y-12
   National Security Site and Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.

   The FAA said it is considering additional requests from other federal
   security agencies to bar drones.

   Earlier this year, the FAA banned drone flights over 133 U.S. military
   facilities. The Pentagon said in August that U.S. military bases could
   shoot down drones that endanger aviation safety or pose other threats.

   The FAA also banned drone flights over 10 U.S. landmarks in September,
   including the Statue of Liberty in New York and Mount Rushmore National
   Memorial in South Dakota, at the request of national security and law
   enforcement agencies.

   It separately barred drone flights over the USS Constitution in Boston,
   the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and Independence National Historical Park
   in Philadelphia. The list also includes Glen Canyon Dam in Arizona,
   Hoover Dam in Nevada and Grand Coulee Dam in Washington state.

   Last week, the National Transportation Safety Board said a September
   collision between a small civilian drone and a U.S. Army helicopter was
   caused by the drone operator's failure to see the helicopter because he
   was intentionally flying the drone out of visual range.

   The incident between a U.S. Army UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter and a DJI
   Phantom 4 drone near Staten Island, New York, occurred as concerns
   mount over the rising number of unmanned aircraft in U.S. airspace.

   The helicopter landed safely, but a 1 1/2-inch (3.8-cm) dent was found
   on the leading edge of one of its four main rotor blades and parts of
   the drone were found lodged in its engine oil cooler fan. The Army said
   previously the helicopter was not targeted and that it was struck by a
   drone being operated by a hobbyist.

   Government and private-sector officials are concerned that dangerous or
   even hostile drones could get too close to places like military bases,
   airports and sports stadiums.