Abstract
In this paper, we describe and test a simple algorithm for enabling a single drone to herd a flock of birds away from a dangerous area in which birds may collide with an airplane. To do this, a drone suddenly approaches the flock from beneath, when the flock comes close to the runway. This makes the birds change their path to a higher elevation and safely pass the runway. A simulation platform for evaluating the success of different scenarios regarding this method was created based on Reynolds’ flocking rules. The results showed the possibility of this method to be successful when the drone has a climbing speed suitable for any particular flying speed of birds. In addition to flying speeds, how scattered the birds are in the flock is also another factor that was investigated in the simulations. It turned out that the success of preventing bird strikes may reduce when birds are flying at a far distance from each other.