UAE drone conference warns of rising threat of attacks

Abu Dhabi – The United Arab Emirates and its allies warned Sunday of the rising threat of drone attacks, as Middle East militants rapidly acquire a taste for the cheap and easily accessible unmanned systems. But while the countries called for a collective effort to protect airspaces against the small and often hard to detect targets, one question remains: how can you reliably stop a drone attack? "We have to unite to prevent the use of drones from threatening civilian safety and destroying economic institutions," Mohammed bin Ahmed al-Bowardi, United Arab Emirates' (UAE) Minister of State for Defense Affairs, said at a defense conference in Abu Dhabi. The Unmanned Systems Exhibition (UMEX), running until Wednesday, began in the UAE capital with regional and Western military and industry representatives, including from the United States, Britain and France. Speakers addressed the importance of developing such systems for civil and military uses but also acknowledged their dangers when used by groups deemed a threat to the region.