Well, this is downright unsettling: The FBI is now investigating the rather sophisticated theft of 15 agricultural drones in New Jersey. Why is this troubling? Because these drones, each about the size of an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) are designed to spray chemicals.
Yes, you read that right. These are drones built for the delivery of agricultural chemicals, and which could be used to deliver other chemicals, and not necessarily over open fields.
Someone stole 15 giant agricultural drones in New Jersey — and experts fear a “nightmare scenario” if they end up in the hands of terrorists.
The fleet of Ceres Air C31 drones, which are about the size of an ATV, were ripped off March 24 by a bogus delivery driver who duped shipping and logistics company CAC International in Harrison, according to The High Side substack.
A phony bill of lading was presented at the pick-up location for the drones which was bolstered by a fake confirmation email that CAC International took to be legitimate, the report stated.
That's a fairly sophisticated crime, as noted, and here's the scary part:
The four-armed flyers can carry and spray up to 40 gallons of liquid chemicals, such as fertilizers and pesticides, and unleash the payload over a 15-acre span in just seven minutes.
The FBI is concerned the chemical-spraying drones could be used to disperse biological or chemical weapons, the report claimed.
“This was one of the most highly sophisticated thefts [the FBI] have seen in a long time, which is the main thing that has them so spooked,” a person who was briefed on the case told the outlet.
These drones, obviously, could carry an improvised chemical weapon, such as the improvised Sarin gas used in the infamous subway attack in Tokyo in 1995. Some very dangerous chemical weapons indeed can be synthesized with frightening ease, but it gets worse. These drones could also be used to spray a biological agent that can be spread by droplets or aerosol. That's even more terrifying. Biological agents can be far more dangerous than chemical agents; unlike chemical agents, which start to degrade the moment they are dispersed, biological agents reproduce, spread themselves, and worst of all, they adapt.
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The drone in question is reported to be Pegasus Robotics Ceres Air C31, a big agricultural drone with a 31-gallon capacity, according to the manufacturer; it's not clear why the initial report names a 40-gallon capacity unless the stolen drones were modified. They are an 8-rotor design with a maximum speed of 40 miles per hour and a maximum altitude of 98.4 feet, so a low and slow platform that can deliver liquids with some precision.
You can see the specifications of these drones here.
A retired FBI agent familiar with the case expressed some serious concern.
Retired FBI agent Steve Lazarus speculated that the drones could be easily weaponized.
“Even common chemicals, used improperly, can be a public safety danger. Throw in the internet recipes for biological and chemical weapons that anyone with a Tor browser has access to, and this is a potential nightmare scenario,” Lazarus told The High Side.
“The bureau is freaked out for a good reason,” Lazarus said. “These aren’t hobby drones with cameras. They’re industrial sprayers designed to carry and disperse significant amounts of liquid quickly and with precision.”
This could give a terrorist the capacity to deliver chemical or biological munitions quickly and accurately, and would be especially useful in a densely populated area, like a major city, where the sprayed chemical or biological agents could be delivered to a maximum number of people.
We'll be watching this story as it develops. Stay tuned. And keep an eye on the sky.
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