Conventional air traffic might be tightly controlled and monitored, but even with the new FAA regulations, drones and other unmanned aerial systems are mostly operating without any government oversight. And that doesn't sit well with the folks at the Pentagon, who fear that easy access to affordable drones could make them easily adaptable for terrorist or military purposes. To combat this potential threat, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, announced this week an "Aerial Dragnet" program that aims to map all small drone activity in urban settings. "Commercial websites currently exist that display in real time the tracks of relatively high and fast aircraft--from small general aviation planes to large airliners--all overlaid on geographical maps as they fly around the country and the world," DARPA's program manager Jeff Krolik said. "We want a similar capability for identifying and tracking slower, low-flying unmanned aerial systems, particularly in urban environments."

America's research and development department wants the ability to know where drones are, even when they can't see them. Darpa's latest program, Aerial Dragnet, is set to track all unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operating below 1,000 feet in large cities. Using sensors, these systems would'see' over and between buildings in order to trail these vehicles with the goal of combating'UAS-enabled terrorist threats' in urban environments. DARPA's program, Aerial Dragnet, will track all unmanned aerial systems (UAS) flying below 1,000 feet in large cities. Using sensors, these systems would see over and between buildings in order to trail these vehicles with the goal of combating'UAS-enabled terrorist threats' Darpa has announced a new program that will track all unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operating below 1,000 feet in large cities in order to combat UAS-enabled terrorist threats.

What's the best way to track drones in the sky? There is no good way to track the drones in the sky. Passenger airplanes and helicopters report their flights to air traffic control, and even if they didn't, the vehicles are large and show up easily on radar, making it possible to keep an eye on them over land. Drones, especially commercial or hobbyist drones, are small enough to appear like birds on radar. Drones are also new enough that there isn't yet a system requiring them to broadcast their location to traffic control (or even, if such a system was devised, a guarantee that all small drones could power and obey it).