Contents I. Introduction
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have made headlines in the last few years by crashing down on high security sites, such as the White House lawn [1], [2], and during high profile events [3]. These events, fueled by the media, have created a widespread fear of the damage that could be caused by such a small unmanned system when used in malicious ways [4]. The United States Department of Defense (DoD) defines Class 1 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as small, portable, self-contained systems analogous to model airplanes, helicopters, or quadcopters [5]. Class 1 UAVs include popular brands such as DJI Phantom [6], 3DR Iris+ [7], Parrot [8], and other hobbyist brands of quadcopters. These types of UAVs are relatively inexpensive and easily accessible through online stores and hobby shops. While most hobby-level brands of UAVs are sold with propriety software, there are some brands that are catering directly to the open-source community. Experienced users can modify the firmware and contribute useful code back to the community [9]–[11]. The most dangerous aspects of Class 1 UAVs is their ability to fly undetected through most traditional anti-aircraft security systems [2], [12]. While UAVs are capable of traversing tens of meters per second, they are still significantly slower than military drones, missiles, or aircrafts, making them nearly invisible to most military-grade radar detection that are optimized to detect high velocity targets [12]. The gap in security protocols regarding small UAVs presents an immediate need for robust solutions.
