2026-07-30 13:04:09
War-style drones armed with pepper spray are being introduced into American schools in a dramatic new attempt to stop mass shooters before police arrive.
The plastic aircraft launch into action when a teacher raises the alarm, racing through corridors, smashing through windows if necessary and reaching a suspected gunman in as little as 15 seconds.
Texas-based company Campus Guardian Angel of Austin, Texas, says the drones are equipped with pepper launchers, flashing strobe lights and deafening sirens designed to confuse and distract an attacker.
The drones can also ram into a target at speeds of up to 50mph while being controlled remotely from thousands of miles away.
Built-in speakers allow operators to communicate directly with a suspected shooter or issue instructions to teachers and school staff during an emergency.
According to the company’s website, the aim is to deploy “three to four waves of drones, keeping the shooter occupied until he/she can be apprehended by authorised responders.”
Each drone can remain airborne for around eight minutes on a single battery charge.
The technology is already being adopted by schools across the US, with at least four schools in Georgia, three in Florida and one in Colorado preparing to install the systems.
Deltona High School in Florida plans to deploy 39 drones before the new school year.
Co-founder Bill King said the idea came after watching the effectiveness of small combat drones during the war in Ukraine.
He told The Washington Post: “Once I get the drones on you, you just can’t escape them.”
The company’s tactical operations director, former Austin SWAT team leader Khristof Oborski, said the battlefield technology inspired a new approach to tackling school shootings.
He told Barron’s Magazine: “[Bill] started thinking about how can you introduce this type of system to be able to combat a growing problem in the United States – with school shootings.”
Sarah Kiesewetter, head of John Adams Academy in Douglas County, Colorado, is quoted by Axios as saying: “We might be the first school in Colorado looking at [drone technology] but we certainly won’t be the last.”
But not everyone is convinced.
Tony Montalto, whose 14-year-old daughter Gina was among the 17 people killed in the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Florida, told WPTV: “These drones aren’t patrolling – they just pop up when needed. So that’s part of the problem.
“We need to focus on the prevention piece rather than the reaction piece.”
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