Counter-UAS News from Around the World
Defense Blog: Azerbaijan’s loitering munition spotted during military exercises
The images, released by the AzeriDefence, show a Harop unmanned combat air vehicle developed by the MBT division of Israel Aerospace Industries and local partners. The Harop is a loitering munition offer a relatively low-cost form of air support for ground troops who do not have the backing of manned fighter-bombers. It is a drone that can autonomously home in on radio emissions. Rather than holding a separate high-explosive warhead, the drone itself is the main munition.
UAS Vision: DroneShield’s Product Suite Accepted on GSA Schedule
DroneShield Ltd has announced that its full product suite has been approved for placement on, and placed on, the GSA Schedule. The GSA (General Services Administration) is an agency of the United States government that supplies products for U.S. government offices and operates the Federal Acquisition Service (the FAS). As part of this effort, it maintains the GSA Schedule, which other U.S. government agencies can use to buy goods and services. Procurement managers from various U.S. government agencies can seamlessly make purchases of the products that are on the GSA Schedule, knowing that the terms of such purchases have been preset between the vendor and the GSA.
UAS Vision: FCC Certifies Echodyne EchoFlight Radar
Echodyne, the manufacturer of high-performance radars for securing critical infrastructure and guiding autonomous machines, announced that it has received FCC certification for its EchoFlight radar.
Defense Daily: DHS S&T Nominee Plugs Counter UAS Bill
Legislation in the Senate permitting the use of technology to defeat potential threats from drones is necessary to enable the testing and evaluation of these technologies in operationally relevant environments, a Department of Homeland Security official said on Wednesday. Current law allows for detecting and tracking of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) “but we’re not able to take any mitigation actions,” William Bryan, the Trump administration’s nominee to be under secretary of Science and Technology (S&T) at DHS, said at his Senate confirmation hearing. “That’s a concern. That’s a significant concern across the entire department. We cannot even do research, development, testing in an evaluation (RDT&E) in an operational environment.”
UAS Vision: First Full Dome 3D Counter-Drone Radar
The latest in a line of counter-drone radars from SpotterRF is the revolutionary 3D-500. The 3D-500 is the first radar that creates a full dome drone detection area from 0 to 90 degrees in the vertical and 360 degrees in the horizontal with a single radar that weighs 12 pounds.
China is moving to develop laser weapons and counter-drone systems as it tries to catch up with the United States on unmanned aerial vehicle technology to boost its intelligence and attack capabilities, according to military analysts. That includes systems to protect its drones so that they are less vulnerable to lasers and spoofing techniques that send false information to UAVs. One system under development is Silent Hunter, a portable drone-killing laser weapon that is said to have a firing range of up to 4km and was demonstrated at a defence conference in Abu Dhabi in February.
NFL.com: Steelers erect tarp to prevent against ‘drones’
Mike Tomlin is wary of technology, and he’s resorting to extraordinary measures to protect his team against the threat of the robots. When asked Thursday by reporters about the construction of a tarp hanging near one of the practice fields at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, the Pittsburgh Steelers coach offered an enigmatic explanation. Pressed for a more concrete impetus for raising a “plastic-bag-like structure” to block the view of his practices, Tomlin suggested that it was a preventive measure against flying machines.
GCN: Drone deterrence: Easy to buy, tricky to use legally
Although there are federal restrictions on where drones can fly, unmanned aerial systems still make their way, intentionally or not, into prohibited airspace. While some of these incursions merely cause headaches for officials on the ground, others can be life threatening. Federal, state and local agencies can protect staff and facilities from unwanted UAS incursions with drone-deterrence technology, but buying such equipment comes with a slew of regulatory and legal considerations, federal and private aviation law experts said.
ABC 13 Las Vegas: Too close for comfort: Drones pose safety threat to planes in protected airspace
There are many new amateur pilots taking to the skies, but instead of planes, they’re flying drones. Some drone pilots are taking big risks with your safety by breaching protected airspace. Chief Investigator Darcy Spears found out just how close drones are flying to McCarran and other major airports across the county and why we should all be concerned. Shocking video discovered on social media in February shows the danger drones pose to commercial airplanes. It shows just how close a drone was flying to an incoming Frontier Airlines flight landing at McCarran.
Janes 360: Northrop Grumman explores airburst munitions for C-UAS applications
Northrop Grumman Armament Systems Division (NG-ASD) has outlined ongoing efforts to advance kinetic kill counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) capabilities and develop a family of networked systems to address unmanned air, land, and maritime threats. Jay Annis, portfolio director at NG-ASD told Jane’s that the company continues to partner with the US Army and US Air Force to develop and field electronic attack and advanced medium-calibre weapons to address unmanned threats.
The Drive: India to Legalize Commercial Drone Operations After Reversing UAV Ban
India banned the use and sale of hobby drones in October of 2014, with July reversing that policy and announcing that it was finalizing regulations and developing an online framework to provide civilians with an easy registration process for legal recreational drone flights in October. Now it seems even commercial drone applications will get the green light, as the government announced on Monday that flights within the line of sight will be permitted by December, according to The Economic Times.
ExecutiveGov: Study: Drone Tech Proliferation Puts Regional, International Security at Risk
Researchers from the Netherlands recently said that the proliferation of drone technology, brought about in part by the growth of the drone industry as well as the willingness of governments to sell the technology to allies and partners, would likely put regional and international security at risk.
Defense Update: Zala Aero Group REX-1 Drone Jammer
Russia’s Kalashnikov Concern presented the REX-1 counter-UAV rifle. This man-portable jammer provides a non-kinetic drone inhibitor. Utilizing multi-band jammer to defeat small UAS from a relatively short range, it can also be used to disrupt mobile phone communications, for example, securing a suspected IED from remote-controlled activation. REX-1 was developed by Kalashnikov subsidiary, Zala Aero Group.
Press Release: The Ghoul Tool Full Spectrum (GTFS) hand-held drone countermeasure has arrived!
Melbourne, Florida-based Invisible Interdiction, has launched the second of the Ghoul Tool line of drone countermeasures for military, law enforcement, and counter-terror forces. The GTFS represents the culmination of more than three years’ experience designing systems for the control of drones. The GTFS works by breaking the command & control or navigation radio links between the drone pilot and the aircraft. The engineering team continues to focus on size, weight and power (SWaP) making the GTFS the most capable man portable countermeasure available in the world today. The Invisible Interdiction team has over 50 years of RF design experience and over 50 years of military experience.
General Aviation News: FAA grants nearly 2,000 waivers for drones
On the eve of the two-year anniversary of the FAA establishing regulations for operating small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), also known as drones, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) released an update to its analysis of waivers by the FAA for UAS operations beyond the scope of the Small UAS rule and found that nearly 2,000 have been granted. The analysis finds that nearly 92% of the waivers grant permission to operate UAS at night, which is not permitted under the FAA rule. The report also shows that first responders around the country are embracing expanded UAS operations, with close to 200 having received waivers.
ABC Australia: Drone users breaking laws as burden of proof makes prosecution difficult
Drone users are breaking laws by flying in restricted areas and over people, but authorities say it can be difficult gathering the evidence to fine them. A brief scan across Instagram reveals numerous drone photos which appear to be shot illegally in Australia. People have published images from no-fly zones, overpopulated beaches, and from altitudes greater than 120 metres. As drone sales increase, so do the number of people breaking the law, but fining them can be difficult.
uAvionix and FLARM Technology today announced a partnership to collaborate on Electronic Conspicuity (EC) and Detect and Avoid (DAA) solutions for manned and unmanned aircraft. uAvionix specializes in ADS-B, Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) transponders, and GNSS position sources for manned and unmanned aircraft. FLARM specializes in situational awareness and active DAA solutions for General Aviation and unmanned aircraft. Both companies offer products for installation and portable use together with modern display systems such as Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) applications.
AUVSI Webinar Series (9/19/2018): MITIGATING BAD ACTORS WITH UAS AND SECURING OUR INDUSTRY
One of the primary concerns of the drone community is how to take advantage of this technology, while keeping the public safe. The evolution of technology to mitigate malicious actors is critical to this mission, as developers consider scenarios where drones could be used by bad actors and take preventative steps. During this webinar, defense industry leaders will explore current strategies to prevent negative actions, emerging ideas and options for mitigating threats from rogue users. Remote Pilots will share their experiences and discuss the mitigation capabilities that are important to them.