Iran drone threat prompts heightened alert for California coastline | Fox Business

Red Cat CEO Jeff Thompson discusses Iranian drone threats to California on 'Mornings with Maria.' American officials are on heightened alert after federal authorities warned that Iran could attempt to launch dronestoward the California coast, raising concerns about how easily low-cost unmanned aircraft could threaten U.S. cities. Red Cat CEO Jeff Thompson joined FOX Business' Maria Bartiromo on "Mornings with Maria"to discuss how emerging drone threats could be detected and destroyed if adversaries attempted to launch them toward the U.S. coastline. CARGO SHIP STRUCK IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ AMID IRAN WAR The warning comes as Iran has increasingly relied on drone technology in modern warfare, deploying both large strike drones and smaller, inexpensive models that can be launched quickly and in large numbers. Defense officials have seen similar tactics used in conflicts overseas, particularly in theMiddle East and Eastern Europe, where swarms of relatively inexpensive drones have been used to overwhelm traditional defense systems. New York Congressman Mike Lawler joins 'Mornings with Maria' to discuss the escalating war with Iran, a potential $50 billion defense supplemental and the Senate showdown over the Save America Act. Thompson said a potential offshore launch targeting California would likely be identifiable and could beintercepted quickly by U.S. defenses. "We don't have any details currently, but if they're trying to launch vertical-launch mechanisms off of small boats off the coast of California, it's going to be very easy to find and very easy to kill," Thompson said. IRAN THREATENS $200 OIL BARRELS AS US PREPARES MASSIVE RELEASE OF EMERGENCY PETROLEUM RESERVES Still, he cautioned that the smallest drones present a different challenge. Because many are built using widelyavailable commercial technology, they can move quickly and operate at low altitudes, making them harder to detect with traditional systems. "The really small ones like FPV drones... are going to be very hard to battle because they're just so quick," Thompson said. Gatestone Institute senior fellow Gordon Chang joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to discuss China’s deepening ties to Iran, rising oil shipments and the national security stakes ahead of President Donald Trump’s upcoming meeting with Xi Jinping. As drone warfare evolves, Thompson said future defense strategies will likely rely on large numbers of inexpensive counter-systems designed to intercept incoming aircraft before they reach their targets. "It's not humans anymore. It's drone against drone," Thompson said. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that he is "not aware of any imminent threats at this time" while the state remains "prepared for any emergency." CLICK HERE TO GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO