In military, public security, prison or other high-risk scenarios, the impact and risks brought by autonomous drones are increasing, which makes some crimes and illegal activities more frequent. Fighting autonomous drones has become a very important topic.
It is urgent to understand what autonomous drones are and counter-drone technology to effectively protect national assets and personal privacy.
What is an autonomous drone?
Autonomous drone: a drone that operates autonomously without real-time human control and relies on pre-programming or artificial intelligence.
The autonomy of drones enables them to perform complex tasks and even make decisions autonomously in some cases. More importantly, autonomous drones do not rely on jammable communication signals like traditional remote-controlled drones, and they are more resistant to interference.
How to fight autonomous drones?
After understanding the performance characteristics of autonomous drones, based on current technology development trends and actual combat experience, the following are some effective strategies and methods to fight autonomous drones:
Detection and identification
Radar system: Traditional radars may be limited in detecting small autonomous drones, but advanced microwave radars or Doppler radars can detect low-altitude, low-speed targets. Skyfend Hunter and Skyfend Radar can accurately identify low-profile drones, and Trace P developed by SKYFEND can effectively track drones' Drone ID signals or Remote ID signals.
Infrared and optical sensors: Use thermal imaging or high-resolution cameras to capture drones' heat signatures or visual images, especially at night or in complex environments. Combined with AI image recognition technology, drones can be quickly distinguished from non-threatening targets such as birds.
Acoustic detection: When autonomous drones are running, motors and propellers generate specific sound waves, which can be captured by acoustic sensors for close-range detection.
Interference and deception
GPS spoofing: Autonomous drones usually rely on GPS navigation. By emitting false GPS signals, their navigation systems can be misled, causing them to deviate from their intended paths or fall into safe areas. This method is particularly effective for drones that rely on satellite positioning. SKYFEND Spoofer can induce autonomous drones' flight paths away from important areas.
Electromagnetic pulse (EMP): High-energy electromagnetic pulses can directly damage the drone's electronic components, causing it to lose control or become paralyzed. However, EMP equipment is usually expensive and may have collateral effects on surrounding electronic equipment.
Laser jamming: Use low-power lasers to target the optical sensors of drones (such as cameras or lidar) to interfere with their environmental perception capabilities, forcing them to deviate from their mission or enter failure mode.
Physical interception
Net capture system: Use ground-launched net guns or nets carried by interceptor drones to physically capture autonomous drones. This method is suitable for low-altitude targets and can preserve the drone intact for subsequent analysis.
Intercept drones: Deploy your own autonomous or semi-autonomous drones to intercept enemy drones through aerial dogfights or nets. For example, Fortem Technologies' "DroneHunter" system has been used in similar scenarios.
Kinetic weapons: Such as high-precision rifles, anti-aircraft guns or small missiles, directly destroy drones. The disadvantage is that they may produce debris and are suitable for use in open areas.
High-energy weapons
High-energy laser (HEL): Laser weapons can quickly burn the outer shell or key components of drones, with long range, low cost, and no risk of debris. Raytheon's HELWS system has demonstrated its ability to counter small drones.
High Power Microwave (HPM): emits broadband microwave energy to paralyze the electronic systems of drone swarms, which is particularly suitable for countering drone swarms.
Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Defense
AI-driven defense system: uses artificial intelligence to analyze drone behavior patterns (such as flight paths and speeds), predict their intentions and automatically select the best countermeasures.
Autonomous counter-drone swarms: develop your own drone swarms, suppress enemy autonomous drones through coordinated operations, and win by using numbers or tactical advantages.
Environment and Tactical Strategy
Terrain Cover: Use complex terrain (such as urban buildings and forests) to limit the vision and maneuverability of drones and reduce their autonomous navigation efficiency.
Decoys and Interference: Deploy fake targets or electromagnetic decoys to confuse the target recognition algorithm of drones, causing them to attack the wrong target or run out of energy.
Summary
Autonomous drones usually do not rely on external communications, and traditional RF interference is almost ineffective, so better interference technology needs to be sought. Countering autonomous drones also requires selecting strategies based on specific scenarios and resources.
As drones become more autonomous, countermeasures need to develop simultaneously. Skyfend's counter-drone system has achieved outstanding results and achieved a variety of successful cases of countering autonomous drones.
