Chinese army helicopter shot down drone that sparked security alert over Beijing

A Chinese military helicopter shot down a drone that sparked a major security alert and delayed commercial flights over Beijing after flying in restricted airspace, Chinese media has reported.

The emergency caused by the unmanned 2.3-metre long drone last December 29 led rapid-response forces and military aircraft from 10 different People’s Liberation Army regiments and surface-to-air missiles to go into battle mode, The People’s Liberation Army Daily reported.

Three people who flew the drone went on trial in Pinggu, in the far east of Beijing Municipality, on October 22, charged with endangering public security, the report said.

The PLA army’s troops and forces and aircraft from 10 regiments, and its surface-to-air missiles automatically go into battle mode if a suspicious low-altitude flight activity is detected, the newspaper said.

However the threat in this case was a small white drone, which was reportedly carrying out mapping and site measurements of real estate developments, the newspaper reported.

The security alert began after a suspicious, unidentified object was detected taking off from a small airport in Sanhe, Hebei province, the court was told.