text: In Iraq, ISIS used modified commercial drones to conduct aerial bombardments against Iraqi forces. Drones were modified to carry grenades which would then be flown over a target and dropped. Additionally, explosives were placed within the drone and flown into a target as an IED. A notable example of drone weaponization was the two drone explosions during Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s speech in 2018. The event was labeled a failed assassination attempt and highlighted the danger commercial drones can pose. First-person-viewer (FPV) drones are especially concerning for kamikaze-style drones due to the low flying/high speed design. Some commercial FPV racing drones can reach speeds up to 80+mph, and with a good pilot, the adversary wouldn’t detect the drone until it arrived on target. Cartels have mirrored these techniques in their drug war, but also have been seen maximizing a drone’s payload capacity for cross border smuggling. 3D printing has enabled custom attachments to carry or drop unique payloads.DJI Phantom modified to carry munitions with black tape covering the lights in IraqCustoms and Border Protection photo of crashed drug smuggling near San DiegoThe Russian military demonstrated its ability to counter commercial drone attacks in Syria. Electronic warfare (EW) would be the preferred tool since kinetic defeat options are expensive per shot; however, the quantity of cheaper commercial drones is a quality of itself. Additionally, Russian EW capabilities against small Ukrainian drones have not been fully demonstrated in the conflict. Consumer drones use common frequencies that can be jammed if within range. Many of the commercial drones used by the Ukrainian populace are from Chinese companies, namely Da-Jiang Innovations (DJI). Concern for the closer relationship between Moscow and Beijing opens the potential for the Chinese Community Party (CCP) to make DJI implement more geofence no-fly zones over Ukrainian airspace. DJI can update new no-fly locations to its drones in recurring software updates that prevent them from flying in designated areas. Workarounds are already emerging in Ukraine, with companies specializing in unlocking licenses providing services free for Ukrainians. Most commercial drones, other than DJI, do not have geofencing installed into their commercial drones. Additionally, geofencing limits are already placed in less than 1% of the airspace but are placed in locations considered most at risk, such as airports.