DRONE ATTACKS: Sen. Raffy Tulfo airs his concern over the vulnerability of the country鈥檚 airports and military installations to drone attacks. Tulfo, during a public hearing conducted by the Committee on Public Services Tuesday, February 11, 2025, asked the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) if drone counter measures had been set in place to safeguard military installations and the airports from drone bomb attacks. (Public Relations and Information Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Could birds be the next defense against unauthorized drones? Sen. Raffy Tulfo thinks it is worth considering.
Upon hearing a counter-drone expert鈥檚 suggestion, Tulfo directed the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Tuesday to explore the feasibility of training birds to intercept unauthorized drones.
This statement came amid growing concerns over the lack of 24/7 counter-drone measures, formally known as unmanned aerial systems, at Philippine airports.
鈥淢ag-train na tayo ng mga eagles siguro (Maybe we should start training eagles),鈥� Tulfo told CAAP representative Ian Michael del Castillo, who heads the Aerial Works Certification and Inspection Division (AWOCID) Flight Operations Department.
Tulfo, who chairs the Senate committee on public services, warned about the potential threats posed by drones, especially in the wake of global conflicts like the 鈥淯kraine-Russia war鈥�, where drones have been weaponized.
鈥淢ahalaga sa akin muna pag-usapan natin itong drone. Ito ang isang isyu na napapanahon nang ating pag-usapan. For me, it is a national security matter,鈥� he stressed.
(For me, it is important to discuss drones first. This is a timely issue that needs to be addressed. For me, it is a national security matter.)
During the Senate hearing, counter-drone specialist Billy Pascua revealed that some countries have successfully trained birds to detect and capture rogue drones.
Pascua, President and Chief Operating Officer of Tactics SOG Industries, Inc., explained that while technology-driven solutions exist, unconventional methods such as enlisting trained birds could be just as effective in neutralizing drones that pose security threats.
鈥淭here are other anti-drone measures. It can be as innovative as having an鈥� 鈥榶ung ibon sir, huhulihin niya 鈥榶ung drone. There are birds trained to look for drones and basically catch it,鈥� Pascua said during the hearing.
(There are other anti-drone measures. One innovative approach is using birds to capture drones. These birds are trained to locate and seize them.)
鈥淚t鈥檚 a trained bird na talagang hahabulin niya yung drone tapos talagang kinukuha niya sir, ng claw niya,鈥� he added.
(These birds are specifically trained to chase after drones and grab them using their claws.)
He pointed out that while high-tech anti-drone systems exist, adversaries could deploy counter-counter drone technology, rendering them ineffective.
That is where trained birds could offer a non-technology-dependent, at the same time, a cost-efficient solution, Pascua emphasized.
鈥淭he reason why I mentioned birds is because it doesn鈥檛 use technology. So kung 鈥榶ung drone鈥� if there鈥檚 an intent of a drone to really go to a specific area, definitely it would have, possibly a counter-counter drone, so your first level of technology solution would not suffice,鈥� he said.
(The reason I mentioned birds is that they don鈥檛 rely on technology. If a drone is intentionally sent to a specific area, it could have counter-counter drone capabilities, making the first level of technology-based solutions ineffective.)
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CAAP acknowledged the financial burden of acquiring high-end anti-drone systems, with del Castillo citing a subscription-based system that costs $1 million per month.
鈥淚n Asia, wala pa naman po talagang may effective na anti-drone around their structures because number one, the technology is still very expensive at this time,鈥� del Castillo said.
(In Asia, no country has an effective anti-drone system around their structures because, first, the technology is still very expensive.)
鈥淔or example, there鈥檚 this one subscription-based anti-drone system that costs a million dollars a month,鈥� he added.
Del Castillo further pointed out that procuring, maintaining, and subscribing to such technology would require a significant budget allocation.
鈥淲hile we do see the need to protect all of our aerodromes here on Earth, basically how can we effectively propose such a budget that would not be preposterous? Number one, for the acquisition of the equipment; number two, the subscription fee; and number three, the maintenance of the equipment,鈥� he explained.
With these concerns in mind, CAAP said it is studying alternative solutions, including Pascua鈥檚 recommendation to train birds as an anti-drone measure.
鈥淐AAP is actively looking into ways and means to safeguard our skies, not only our airports, but also our skies,鈥� del Castillo said.