ANTI-DRONE TECHNOLOGY -Pakistan

Just as drone technology is advancing, the technology designed to disrupt or shoot down drones i.e anti-drone countermeasures and anti-drone jammers is also making progress, especially in relation to tackling drones that are designed for military purposes or cause other security and privacy issues.

The last year has seen a growing number of security breaches by unidentified drones and the potential for drones related terrorism and the use of drones for illicit activities (the latter includes the use of drones for border trespassing, smuggling, and spying) around the world. Drones are also increasingly being used for military operations.
Perhaps the most well-publicized case of unidentified drones were the sightings that led to a suspension of flights at the U.K. airport Gatwick. Between 19 and 21 December 2018, hundreds of flights were cancelled at Gatwick Airport, following 67 reports of drone sightings close to the runway.
These incidents make the case of anti-drone technology. An example is the DroneGun, developed by Australian company DroneShield. This is a bazooka-style creation which functions by jamming the signal between drone and drone pilot, thereby grounding unwanted aerial vehicles

A second example is called ATHENA (an acronym for Advanced Test High Energy Asset). This is a 30-kilowatt laser weapon being tested by the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command.

Based on current market needs and trends analysts at Tier3 (Pakistan) R&D are working to develop a multilayered drone detection and disruption system that protects people, organisations and critical infrastructures from intrusion from drones.

OUR AIM IS TO DESIGN AND DEVELOP A “DRONE” DETECTION AND DISRUPTION SYSTEM IN PAKISTAN THAT USES HIGHLY SPECIALIZED TECHNOLOGY FOR HIGH LEVELS OF PRECISION AND SENSITIVITY .

RF Jamming Technology

RF jammers transmit on the same frequency as a Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) or drone uses to communicate with the controller or their operator. When the jamming signal is stronger at the UAS than the controller’s signal to the drone loses its connection and is forced into a pre-set emergency protocol to fly back to its starting point, hover or land.

Group 1 and 2 UAS communicate within known, unallocated frequency bands such as 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz. The UAS uses these frequencies to communicate with its controller and for First-Person View (FPV) video. UAS manufacturers are required to remain within the unallocated spectrum. Other less-common commercially used RF frequency bands include 433 MHz and 915 MHz ISM.

Jammer design may be directional or omni-directional (360-degree). Omni-directional jamming provides broader defeat coverage, while directional or sector-based solutions offer more precision and mitigate unintended interference.

Jammers can integrate with the RF detection device—as one single device sharing the same antennas—producing a compact fully integrated detect-and-defeat solution. Jamming is by far the most economical means of countering UAS or drones. This means it is able to be fielded in much larger numbers to tactical level units, rather than being limited to specialist organizations.

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Jamming

American GPS may be the most known GNSS, but the GNSS systems of other nation-states also require attention: GLONASS (Russian), Galileo (European), BeiDou (Chinese), QZSS (Japanese) and NavIC (Indian). Commercial and consumer UAS frequently come with multiple GNSS capabilities.

If jamming a drone’s RF frequency, it may still utilize GNSS to fly back to its point of origin or continue along a pre-programmed navigation path. By jamming both the RF and GNSS, the UAS is severed from its communication and navigation links and cannot fly home or continue its pre-programmed flight path. Based on the drone’s capability, it may attempt to land once jammed or hover until it’s batteries drain.

Spoofing, Hacking and Protocol Manipulation

Spoofing or “hacking” involves a form of protocol manipulation. This method includes mimicking the controller and gaining control of the drone while acting as the controller. When successful, this method allows the system to direct or reroute the UAS or drone, which can be beneficial, especially for specific use cases. Spoofing can also include spoofing the GNSS signal, effectively misguiding the direction of the UAS.

A significant limitation of this approach is that the same or similar spoofing techniques are ineffective against all UAS. Even effective strategies are susceptible to software updates made by the UAS manufacturer or sophisticated UAS operators.

For More information about these and other anti-drone countermeasures please contact us.

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Summary
Anti- Drone Technology
Service Type
Anti- Drone Technology
Provider Name
Tier3,
Area
Pakistan
Description
Anti-Drone Tech