Tourist-Plaguing Drone Shot Down at China’s HuangShan Scenic Area

Date : 2025/10/30

Source : B Z

A low-flying camera drone that buzzed tourists at HuangShan’s Yupinglou viewing terrace on Wednesday morning was forced to the ground within two minutes by park rangers wielding a newly issued Chinese-made counter-UAV rifle, local authorities said.

According to the HuangShan Scenic Area Management Committee, the white quadcopter

hovered repeatedly over a crowded walkway, its propeller wash drowning out guides and twice

brushing past visitors’ heads. After complaints, two rangers armed with the handheld “portable counter-gun”—a 5 kg, 710 mm device resembling an assault rifle—locked onto the aircraft at an estimated 120 m distance and triggered the jammer. Video released by the park shows the

drone’s status lights flashing red before it descended automatically into a retrieval net rigged on a cliffside slope. No one was injured and the aircraft sustained only minor scratches.

“The rifle covers eight frequency blocks between 400 MHz and 6 GHz, so it can interrupt GNSS,  video downlink and control signals at the same time,” explained Zhou Hai, deputy director of the committee. “We selected ‘forced-landing’ mode for this intruder; the whole engagement lasted  about 30 seconds.”

The drone’s operator, a hobby photographer from Jiangsu Province, was taken away by police at the southern gate station. Under local regulations the core scenic zone is a zero-altitude no-fly  area; violators face fines up to RMB 5 000 (≈ USD 700) plus rescue costs if retrieval is required.

Park officials said the device, powered by a 24 V lithium battery and rated for 1–2 km range, was delivered only last week as part of a National Day security upgrade. Four additional units will be stationed at hot-spots including the Hot-Spring, Cloud-Valley, West-Sea and Celestial-Sea

precincts, while a temporary drone-check counter has been opened for visitors who want safe take-off points outside restricted airspace.

Industry analysts note that most Chinese resorts still rely on bulky vehicle-mounted jammers or physical netting; the lightweight rifle offers a cheaper, pinpoint option without disrupting

cellphone service. “This is the first documented real-world shoot-down by a domestic man-

portable jammer at a tourist site,” said Wang Lei, an aviation-law researcher at the University of Science & Technology of China. “Expect other heritage parks to follow quickly.”

Authorities reminded travelers that spectacular views are best captured from the ground: “Enjoy the sea of clouds—leave your drone in the locker,” Zhou added.