Photos show 'weaponized commercial drones' in Iraq

Last week a US Army commander said so-called Islamic State fighters were using commercial drones to drop bombs in Mosul, Iraq, as they tried to avoid losing control of the city.

Images taken by former US Army special forces officer Mitch Utterback, who was in the country as a journalist, show improvised weapons consisting of a plastic tube attached to a consumer camera drone to carry explosives.

The Islamic State had previously used drones to record footage for propaganda videos and for aerial surveillance, as well as creating improvised weapons. In October, two Kurdish Peshmerga fighters were killed in northern Iraq when a modified drone exploded.

"While it shows innovation, the main threat from drones is far and away the ability to hover a camera drone and adjust aim of more direct weapons.“ Mr Utterback told the BBC the devices' electronics had been modified to release grenades.

As pointed out by Mr Bronk, it can be difficult to shoot down, but new weapons are being developed to tackle them. "They are difficult to spot and shoot down, but if you have jamming capabilities you can deny them airspace".

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