There is a real and significant threat of drone attacks in the U.S., with experts warning of attacks on critical infrastructure, including chemical warfare, according to witnesses appearing before a House committee Tuesday afternoon.
The House Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security held a hearing titled, “Surveillance, Sabotage, and Strikes: Industry Perspectives on How Drone Warfare Abroad Is Transforming Threats at Home.”
The hearing comes months after the eastern seaboard was rattled by dozens of drone sightings, raising alarms with the public and lawmakers, spurring fears of drones being used for nefarious reasons. The Pentagon quashed concerns that they posed threats, attributing them to military operations and hobbyists.
Witnesses painted an ominous picture of drone warfare in the U.S., and vulnerabilities if measures aren’t taken to reduce the threats.
Brett Feddersen, vice president of strategy and government affairs at D-Fend Solutions, explained how drone warfare has evolved overseas, particularly in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, while becoming an emerging threat in the U.S.
Feddersen underscored concerns that critical infrastructure, including “power grids, water treatment plants, transportation networks, and communication systems,” is “increasingly vulnerable to threats from nefarious actors who can exploit drones’ capabilities, including surveillance, sabotage, and payload delivery, to conduct physical attacks.”
He warned that attacks on critical infrastructure can lead to mass power outages, communications failures and transportation disruptions (flights).
However, he described a more frightening scenario, causing mass casualties.
“More concerning is the potential for the loss of human life, for example, a drone using aerosol dispersal or payload delivery over a mass gathering can cause mass panic, causing serious injury or even death to attendees,” Feddersen warned.
Tom Walker, chief executive officer of DroneUp, highlighted a “sharp escalation in drone-related threats” that he considers to be “active, sustained, and growing,” claiming in early 2025 there were “411 illegal drone incursions” occurring near airports.
Despite the frightening prospects of drone attacks, experts like Walker recommend establishing a “national low-altitude airspace coordination framework,” by requiring aircraft and pilots to be digitally credentialed and creating a “federal flight-restriction service.” He added that it is imperative to treat low-altitude airspace as a “governed domain.”
Michael Robbins, president and chief executive officer of the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International, warns that a “lack of federal action and investment has left a dangerous gap in our ability to respond” to dangerous drone activity.
Robbins claims only four federal agencies – the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Energy, and Justice – are currently authorized to “detect and mitigate” drone threats, adding that their “authorities are very limited.”
He argues that despite recent executive orders from President Donald Trump, including the restoration of American Airspace Sovereignty and Unleashing American Drone Dominance, congressional action is needed to expand counter unmanned aircraft system authorities. He adds that threats “demand a serious and coordinated response.”
