What are Anti Drone Systems?

Anti drone systems are used to detect and/or intercept unwanted drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Hostile drones may be used to deploy explosives, smuggle contraband or gather intelligence on sensitive assets, and the proliferation of low-cost UAVs has led to an increase in incidents. Anti drone technology is deployed to protect areas such as airports, critical infrastructure, large public spaces such as stadiums, and military installations and battlefield sites.


Modern anti drone radar systems may use a variety of radar technologies, including ESA (electronically scanned array), staring radar, and micro-Doppler, depending on requirements for range, size of protection zone, number of simultaneous targets to track, and ability to deal with environmental clutter. They provide 3D airspace tracking and use sophisticated signal processing techniques to accurately detect and identify drones. As each detection method has its advantages and drawbacks, multi-sensor anti-drone systems will combine different sensor types along with sensor fusion algorithms to provide a complete integrated solution


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History

The earliest recorded use of an unmanned aerial vehicle for warfighting occurred in July 1849,[26] serving as a balloon carrier (the precursor to the aircraft carrier)[27] in the first offensive use of air power in naval aviation.[28][29][30] Austrian forces besieging Venice attempted to launch some 200 incendiary balloons at the besieged city. The balloons were launched mainly from land; however, some were also launched from the Austrian ship SMS Vulcano. At least one bomb fell in the city; however, due to the wind changing after launch, most of the balloons missed their target, and some drifted back over Austrian lines and the launching ship Vulcano.[31][32][33]

UAV innovations started in the early 1900s, and originally focused on providing practice targets for training military personnel. UAV development continued during World War I, when the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company invented a pilotless aerial torpedo that would explode at a preset time.[34]

The earliest attempt at a powered UAV was A. M. Low's "Aerial Target" in 1916.[35] Low confirmed that Geoffrey de Havilland’s monoplane was the one that flew under control on 21 March 1917 using his radio system.[36] Nikola Tesla described a fleet of uncrewed aerial combat vehicles in 1915.[37] Advances followed during and after World War I, including the British Hewitt-Sperry Automatic Airplane (1917) and the RAE Larynx (1927). These developments also inspired the construction of the Kettering Bug by Charles Kettering from Dayton, Ohio. Initially meant as an uncrewed plane that would carry an explosive payload to a predetermined target. The first scaled remote piloted vehicle was developed by film star and model-airplane enthusiast Reginald Denny in 1935.[35] More emerged during World War II – used both to train antiaircraft gunners and to fly attack missions. Nazi Germany produced and used various UAV aircraft during the war, like the Argus As 292 and the V-1 flying bomb with a jet engine. After World War II the development continued in vehicles such as the American JB-4 (using television/radio-command guidance), the Australian GAF Jindivik and Teledyne Ryan Firebee I of 1951, while companies like Beechcraft offered their Model 1001 for the U.S. Navy in 1955.[35] Nevertheless, they were little more than remote-controlled airplanes until the Vietnam War.

In 1959, the U.S. Air Force, concerned about losing pilots over hostile territory, began planning for the use of uncrewed aircraft.[38] Planning intensified after the Soviet Union shot down a U-2 in 1960. Within days, a highly classified UAV program started under the code name of "Red Wagon".[39] The August 1964 clash in the Tonkin Gulf between naval units of the U.S. and North Vietnamese Navy initiated America's highly classified UAVs (Ryan Model 147, Ryan AQM-91 Firefly, Lockheed D-21) into their first combat missions of the Vietnam War.[40] When the Chinese government[41] showed photographs of downed U.S. UAVs via Wide World Photos,[42] the official U.S. response was "no comment".

During the War of Attrition (1967–1970) the first tactical UAVs installed with reconnaissance cameras were first tested by the Israeli intelligence, successfully bringing photos from across the Suez canal. This was the first time that tactical UAVs that could be launched and landed on any short runway (unlike the heavier jet-based UAVs) were developed and tested in battle.[43]

In the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Israel used UAVs as decoys to spur opposing forces into wasting expensive anti-aircraft missiles.[44] After the 1973 Yom Kippur war, a few key people from the team that developed this early UAV joined a small startup company that aimed to develop UAVs into a commercial product, eventually purchased by Tadiran and leading to the development of the first Israeli UAV.[45][pages needed]

In 1973, the U.S. military officially confirmed that they had been using UAVs in Southeast Asia (Vietnam).[46] Over 5,000 U.S. airmen had been killed and over 1,000 more were missing or captured. The USAF 100th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing flew about 3,435 UAV missions during the war[47] at a cost of about 554 UAVs lost to all causes. In the words of USAF General George S. Brown, Commander, Air Force Systems Command, in 1972, "The only reason we need (UAVs) is that we don't want to needlessly expend the man in the cockpit."[48] Later that year, General John C. Meyer, Commander in Chief, Strategic Air Command, stated, "we let the drone do the high-risk flying ... the loss rate is high, but we are willing to risk more of them ...they save lives!"[48]

During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Soviet-supplied surface-to-air missile batteries in Egypt and Syria caused heavy damage to Israeli fighter jets. As a result, Israel developed the IAI Scout as the first UAV with real-time surveillance.[49][50][51] The images and radar decoys provided by these UAVs helped Israel to completely neutralize the Syrian air defenses at the start of the 1982 Lebanon War, resulting in no pilots downed.[52] The first time UAVs were used as proof-of-concept of super-agility post-stall controlled flight in combat-flight simulations involved tailless, stealth technology-based, three-dimensional thrust vectoring flight control, jet-steering UAVs in Israel in 1987.[53]

With the maturing and miniaturization of applicable technologies in the 1980s and 1990s, interest in UAVs grew within the higher echelons of the U.S. military. In the 1990s, the U.S. DoD gave a contract to AAI Corporation along with Israeli company Malat. The U.S. Navy bought the AAI Pioneer UAV that AAI and Malat developed jointly. Many of these UAVs saw service in the 1991 Gulf War. UAVs demonstrated the possibility of cheaper, more capable fighting machines, deployable without risk to aircrews. Initial generations primarily involved surveillance aircraft, but some carried armaments, such as the General Atomics MQ-1 Predator, that launched AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles.

CAPECON was a European Union project to develop UAVs,[54] running from 1 May 2002 to 31 December 2005.[55]

As of 2012, the USAF employed 7,494 UAVs – almost one in three USAF aircraft.[56][57] The Central Intelligence Agency also operated UAVs.[58]

In 2013 at least 50 countries used UAVs. China, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, Turkey, and others[which?] designed and built their own varieties.

Communications[edit]

Most UAVs use a radio for remote control and exchange of video and other data. Early UAVs had only narrowband uplink. Downlinks came later. These bi-directional narrowband radio links carried command and control (C&C) and telemetry data about the status of aircraft systems to the remote operator. For very long range flights, military UAVs also use satellite receivers as part of satellite navigation systems. In cases when video transmission was required, the UAVs will implement a separate analog video radio link.

In most modern UAV applications, video transmission is required. So instead of having 2 separate links for C&C, telemetry and video traffic, a broadband link is used to carry all types of data on a single radio link. These broadband links can leverage quality of service techniques to optimize the C&C traffic for low latency. Usually, these broadband links carry TCP/IP traffic that can be routed over the Internet.

The radio signal from the operator side can be issued from either:

  • Ground control – a human operating a radio transmitter/receiver, a smartphone, a tablet, a computer, or the original meaning of a military ground control station (GCS). Recently control from wearable devices,[75] human movement recognition, human brain waves[76] was also demonstrated.
  • Remote network system, such as satellite duplex data links for some military powers.[77] Downstream digital video over mobile networks has also entered consumer markets,[78] while direct UAV control uplink over the cellular mesh and LTE have been demonstrated and are in trials.[79]
  • Another aircraft, serving as a relay or mobile control station – military manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T).[80]
  • A protocol MAVLink is increasingly becoming popular to carry command and control data between the ground control and the vehicle

As mobile networks have increased in performance and reliability over the years, drones have begun to use mobile networks for communication. Mobile networks can be used for drone tracking, remote piloting, over the air updates,[81] and cloud computing.[82]

Channel 4 subtone 4 of PMR446 (walkie-talkie) is reserved for voice communication among pilots.

Modern networking standards have explicitly considered drones and therefore include optimizations. The 5G standard has mandated reduced user plane latency to 1ms while using ultra-reliable and low-latency communications.[83]

Classificat

UAVs typically fall into one of six functional categories (although multi-role airframe platforms are becoming more prevalent):

  • Combat – providing attack capability for high-risk missions (see:hie (UCAV) and loitering munition aka suicide drone).
  • Reconnaissance – Unmanned reconnaissance aerial vehicle providing battlefield intelligence.
  • Target and decoy – providing ground and aerial gunnery a target that simulates an enemy aircraft or missile.
  • Logistics – delivering cargo.
  • Civil and commercial UAVs – agriculture, aerial photography, data collection.
  • Research and development – improve UAV technologies.

The U.S. Military UAV tier system is used by military planners to designate the various individual aircraft elements in an overall usage plan.




Hand-held 2,000 ft (600 m) altitude, about 2 km rangeVehicles can be categorized in terms of range/altitude. The following has been advanced[by whom?] as relevant at industry events such as ParcAberporth Unmanned Systems forum:

  • Close 5,000 ft (1,500 m) altitude, up to 10 km range
  • NATO type 10,000 ft (3,000 m) altitude, up to 50 km range
  • Tactical 18,000 ft (5,500 m) altitude, about 160 km range
  • MALE (medium altitude, long endurance) up to 30,000 ft (9,000 m) and range over 200 km
  • HALE (high altitude, long endurance) over 30,000 ft (9,100 m) and indefinite range
  • Hypersonic high-speed, supersonic (Mach 1–5) or hypersonic (Mach 5+) 50,000 ft (15,200 m) or suborbital altitude, range over 200 km
  • Orbital low earth orbit (Mach 25+)
  • CIS Lunar Earth-Moon transfer
  • Computer Assisted Carrier Guidance System (CACGS) for UAVs


Other categories include:[59][60]

  • Hobbyist UAVs – which can be further divided into
    • Ready-to-fly (RTF)/Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS)
    • Bind-and-fly (BNF) – require minimum knowledge to fly the platform
    • Almost-ready-to-fly (ARF)/Do-it-yourself (DIY) – require significant knowledge to get in the air
    • Bare frame – requires significant knowledge and your own parts to get it in the air
  • Midsize military and commercial UAVs
  • Large military-specific UAVs
  • Stealth combat UAVs
  • Crewed aircraft transformed into uncrewed (and Optionally Piloted UAVS or OPVs)



Classifications according to aircraft weight are quite simpler:

  • Micro air vehicle (MAV) – the smallest UAVs that can weigh less than 1g
  • Miniature UAV (also called SUAS) – approximately less than 25 kg
  • Heavier UAVs