4 February 2015
The Chinese maker of a drone that a hobbyist
crashed at the White House says it is taking
steps to ensure that cannot happen again.
DJI Technology Co. said Wednesday it will send
a software update this week for its drones'
navigation system that will block them from
flying over Washington.
The crash of the 50-centimeter-long (two-
foot-long) Phantom quad-copter prompted
questions about whether the White House and
President Barack Obama were adequately
protected against a potential threat.
A DJI spokesman, Michael Perry, said the
software update was planned for coming weeks
but its release was moved up after the White
House incident.
DJI drones use a GPS-linked onboard
navigation system that already is programmed
to block them from "no fly" zones around some
700 airports worldwide, according to Perry.
A U.S. government intelligence agency, the
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, said
the man who flew the drone into the White
House was one of its employees but the flight
was not work-related. His name was not
released.
DJI, based in the southern Chinese city of
Shenzhen, is privately owned and does not
release sales details but industry analysts say
it is the biggest maker of drones for civilian
use. Perry said the Phantom is the most widely
used civilian drone in the United States.
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