Birds pose a danger to commercial aircraft, but unauthorized drones are also a threat. Fortunately for everyone, we don’t yet know what would happen if a solid unmanned aerial vehicle collided with a jet or flew into its engine. The Federal Aviation Administration doesn’t want to find out, which is one of the reasons why they tested an FBI drone-detection system to prevent crashes.

A coalition that includes the FAA, other government agencies, people in the industry, and academics are all part of the effort to ensure that people flying drones for fun don’t damage commercial aircraft and threaten the safety of people on them. The other government agencies included the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Queens District Attorney’s Office, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Federal law enforcement (DHS and FBI) is involved because one of the goals of a drone detection system is to actually catch the owners of errant mini-copters.

The system was tested on a government/industry official drone range in upstate New York, and the agencies conducted forty tests using five aircraft, which had both fixed wings and rotors.

So we all remember what’s at stake, here’s a simulation of a drone striking a jet.

FAA Tests FBI Drone Detection System at JFK [FAA] (via CNET)

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.