Counter-UAS News from Around the World
sUAS News: President Macron inspects DroneGun Tactical in Mourmelon
“French media have reported that on 1 March 2018, President Macron, the Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly, and the Chief of Staff of the Army Jean-Pierre Bosser visited Camp Mourmelon and among other things reviewed equipment that’s part of the Scorpion program, an equipment modernisation program of the French armed forces. Some of these media reports were accompanied by a photograph of President Macron holding and, together with Minister Parly and General Bosser, inspecting, DroneGun Tactical™.”
Defense Blog: US Army prioritizes mobile system to counter drones
“During the last decade, the U.S. military felt it had air superiority over potential adversaries, so Army leaders weren’t concerned about having a robust short-range air defense capability. But now, with the worldwide proliferation of unmanned aircraft systems, the Army’s perceived need for SHORAD has changed.”
Stanford News: Armed drones changing conflict faster than anticipated, Stanford scholar finds
“Could the mere threat of using an armed drone ever coerce an enemy to change their behavior – without attacking them? Yes, says Stanford political scientist Amy Zegart, who argues in a new research paper that countries that simply possess deadly, armed drones could change an adversary’s behavior without even striking them. Zegart is the Davies Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and co-director of Stanford’s Center for International Security and Cooperation.”
We Talk UAV: U.S. Navy is going to have two high-powered counter-UAS lasers
“The U.S. Navy just awarded Lockheed Martin a $150 million contract, which can go up to $942.8 million in options, to develop, manufacture and deliver two high-powered laser weapon systems by 2020. The laser systems will be used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and counter-UAS purposes. Not only are these new lasers built to take down drones, but they can also take out small boats.”
sUAS News: Securus Technologies Announces Successful Drone Pilot Program in Securing Correctional Facilities
“Securus Technologies, a leading provider of technology-enabled solutions for public safety, law enforcement, investigations, corrections and government payment services announced active pilot programs using drone detection technology to combat the threats in prisons and jails from drone devices.”
Bloomberg: White House Wants Agents to Be Able to Down Civilian Drones
“The White House is preparing to propose giving law enforcement and security agencies the authority to track and disable in flight civilian drones that present a threat. The administration of President Donald Trump is working on the measure as part of its effort to both speed the introduction of rapidly expanding drone technology and to address growing security concerns, Michael Kratsios, an assistant to the president who is deputy U.S. technology officer, said Tuesday.Technology exists that can track a drone by monitoring its radio-control signals. It is also possible to seize control of an errant drone, or to render it inoperable by jamming the signals. But laws prohibit using many of those technologies, hampering the ability to security agencies to respond to threats.”
UAS Vision: First European DroneSentinel Order
“DroneShield Ltd has announce that ForcePro, one of the Company’s European distributors, has placed an order for the Company’s DroneSentinel product, as well as two DroneGun units. The DroneSentinel version ordered by the distributor is in a “light” radar/radio frequency detection sensor configuration. The radar used in this version of the product is RadarZero, the portable and miniaturised radar rolled out by the Company earlier this month. The size and price point position RadarZero well for the civilian markets, while its functionality and specifications also make it appropriate for the military customers. This is the first order for the DroneSentinel product since its recent roll-out.”
The Drive: Skydroid Contracted by British Government to Prevent Drone-Smuggling in U.K. Prisons
“UK. company Skydroid Ltd. has won a bid to help the British Government curb the frequency of unmanned aerial vehicles being used to successfully smuggle contraband into prisons. While we’ve had quite the share of this problem in the United States, it’s interesting to actually witness a governmental entity enlist a company to resolve the disconcerting issue. Though Skydroid’s website currently looks rather elementary and provides no information besides it being in progress, this announcement will presumably lead to Skydroid implementing counter-drone technology in England’s most drone-inflicted correctional facilities.”
Ars Technica: Switzerland first to test integrating drones into its air traffic control
“Switzerland is on the cusp of becoming the first country to formally integrate drones into the air traffic management system that controls its airspace. The limited integration is the first to be launched under a broader European initiative called U-space, which seeks to create a digital infrastructure that would allow millions of small drones to safely operate beyond line-of-sight in approved airspace. A similar, though more modest, model in the US called Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) has been developed by NASA. Managing and tracking small drones is key to opening the commercial market for drone services.”
Motherboard: Experts to US Army: Beware Swarming Drones
“US Army soldiers are vulnerable to swarms of tiny drones packing explosives or other weapons. And the problem is bound to get worse as the Army struggles to develop defenses against robotic swarms faster than America’s enemies field better drones. That’s the alarming conclusion of a new study from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. “The Army timeframes are significantly out of sync with the rapidly advancing performance capabilities of individual sUASs and teams of sUASs,” the experts wrote, using the military’s acronym for “small unmanned aerial systems.”
Digital Trends: A consumer drone crashed and burned, and then caused a wildfire
“Consumer drones have been causing problems for air-based firefighters tackling wildfires over the last few years, with a number of rogue operators determined to use their camera-equipped flying machines to capture dramatic footage of burning land. Earlier this month, however, there was an unusual incident in Arizona where a drone actually caused a wildfire. Local media reports suggest the blaze started accidentally when the drone crashed on a dry patch of land.”
UAS Vision: Ford’s Zero-Cost Solution for Remote ID Tracking
“Now, Ford Motor Company is presenting a rather simple possible solution to the problem of how to identify and track UAVs: using drones’ onboard collision lights to beam their 10-digit FAA registration numbers for capture and decoding. This unique proposal would easily identify drones in close range with little to no modification of existing models. This work will go on to ensure the safe and responsible use of drones in U.S. airspace while maintaining the bandwidth necessary for innovation, as the recommendations given to the FAA could help lay the foundation for drone flights over people and beyond visual line of sight.”
Express: Royal wedding to be fitted with MILITARY technology to disable snooping drones
“It comes amid fears that extremists could use the event to launch an unmanned attack as thousands line up to watch the procession. It will also be deployed against intruder “paparazzi” drones. Officers from the Royal Protection Squad, S014, have already prepared security plans including the sealing of drains, removing litter bins and posting armed officers on high buildings. But Counter Terrorist Command has also identified the aerial threat posed by drones, and will work with a team of SAS soldiers to counter it.”
The National Interest: What Happens When America’s Enemies Attack with Their Own Drones?
“Cheap drones are a deadly problem with an expensive solution for the U.S. military. With devastating effect, ISIS has rigged store-bought drones to drop grenades and serve as kamikaze bombers strapped with RPG warheads. In Iraq, more than a dozen have been killed and over fifty injured by these makeshift weapons. To defend against this lethal miniature air force, the U.S. military is investing heavily in technology, exploring everything from high-powered lasers to ray guns to nets.”
Executive Biz: General Atomics Demos Acoustic Surveillance Tech for Counter-UAS Missions
“General Atomics‘ electromagnetic systems business demonstrated an acoustic detection system during an event held at the U.S. Army‘s Fires Center of Excellence in Lawton, Oklahoma. The company said Thursday it was invited to showcase the Fencepost platform at the annual Maneuver Fires Integrated Experiment in support of counter-unmanned aerial system missions.”