Countering Unmanned Aerial Systems - 10 Programs To Watch

From Ukraine to Gaza and Nagorno-Karabakh to the Red Sea, few technologies are making as much of an impact on today’s battlefields as unmanned aerial systems, or UAS. From small first-person view (FPV) quadcopters to advanced MQ-9 Reapers, these uncrewed systems have been used in a variety of roles including intelligence collection and attack to devastating effect. These weapons have challenged existing solutions, overwhelming air defenses, defying traditional sensor technology and testing the operational norms of war. As drones and their applications have multiplied, countering them has become a priority for states, organizations and manufacturers worldwide.

Developing Countermeasures

Some counter-UAS solutions repurpose existing technology. In Ukraine, U.S.-donated MIM-104 Patriot batteries have reportedly shot down hundreds of Russian drones, and likewise in the Red Sea, U.S. ships have used SM-2, SM-3, and SM-6 missiles to intercept numerous Houthi suicide drones. Despite successes, a glaring issue draws from a fundamental mismatch of capabilities, as advanced interceptor missiles costing millions of dollars are being used to down drones manufactured for a minuscule fraction of that cost.
Alternative countermeasures involve crude but sometimes effective problem-solving. From decoy artillery and vehicles designed to confuse loitering munitions to nets or caging meant to capture or disable UAS, some battlefield solutions haven’t required significant innovation of ideas. Despite some successes, these strategies are hardly long-term answers to the growing numbers and capabilities of unmanned systems.
While there is no obvious, single solution to the variety of drones on or entering the market, a host of potential responses have been assembled by manufacturers hoping to capitalize on the need for UAS countermeasures.
The first step in countering UAS is detection. Identifying, isolating and monitoring incoming drones through radar, infrared, acoustic and other sensor technology is critical to neutralizing the threat. Radio frequency (RF) analyzers can even be used to detect radio communication links between a drone and its operator. While some existing sensor equipment struggles to detect unmanned systems, particularly small-size models which can be mistaken for birds, many new drone-specific tools are enhancing the ability to counter such systems. Some of these sensors can be limited by restricting conditions including darkness, fog, or high noise, but often provide long-range tracking and localization necessary to defeat incoming threats.
Jamming techniques have been suggested as a potential counter-drone strategy, using mobile or fixed RF energy sources to disrupt the connection between operator and platform, causing a drone to divert, crash, land or possibly even identify a new target. Adjacent to this are GPS spoofing methods which feed a new signal to a UAS, confusing its GPS positioning and driving the drone away from the intended target. While both technologies show promise, they are hampered by shorter ranges and potential impacts on other friendly or neutral electronic systems, making them most suitable for more isolated locations. Cyber takeover and hijacking technologies are also in development, allowing outside operators to overpower the signal from an enemy controller to its drone and seize control for their own purposes.
One of the broadest categories of countermeasure is kinetic, or hard-kill options, which destroy or disable a drone through physical contact. These responses vary from traditional projectiles including missiles and bullets to launched nets and interceptor drones. While demonstrating varying degrees of effectiveness, kinetic solutions can be hampered by reloading requirements, hardware costs, and potential collateral damage issues.
Arguably the most dazzling and futuristic C-UAS strategies are the cutting-edge directed energy weapons that are in development or entering service around the world. Low-cost lasers can down drones with precision and can target modern UAS which have been jam-proofed or are not reliant on radio signals. Alternatively, high-power microwave (HPM) systems, emitting electromagnetic radiation pulses capable of damaging or even destroying electronics inside drone systems, have shown potential, particularly in countering the much-feared drone swarm. Such emitters could disable or destroy unmanned systems within their range at great efficiency, however, most of the technology is still in its infancy.
Despite the variety of offerings, no one defense seems likely to provide universal coverage against UAS operations. As unmanned technologies proliferate and diversify, responses must be used in layered applications to blunt the variety of strategies used by UAS operators.

10 C-UAS Programs to Watch:

1. Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS)

The U.S. Marine Corps’ Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) is a true system of systems, integrating sensors and electronic warfare (EW) weaponry onboard two Joint Light Tactical Vehicles. The mobile system is comprised of a CM262U optic, RPS-42 radar, Skyview-MP (mobile platform) long-range, 360-degree detection system, AN/PRC-158 manpack radio system, Stinger missile system, 30-mm cannon and Modi II EW system. The MADIS’ robust sensor package allows for multi-form, high-quality drone detection, while the onboard Modi II system can be used to disrupt and jam communications and signals between a drone and its operator. Stinger missiles and a 30-mm cannon, mounted on each of the separate 4 x 4 vehicles, provide hard-kill responses for a variety of aerial threats.
The first variant of the system, the light or L-MADIS (seen above), was first operational in 2019, and the system has since seen encouraging success. The full-fledged MADIS system is expected to be fielded in 2025.

2. Low, slow, small, unmanned aircraft Integrated Defeat System (LIDS)

Raytheon’s Low, slow, small, unmanned aircraft Integrated Defeat System (LIDS) is a pairing of the company’s Ku-band Radio Frequency Sensor (KuRFS) multi-mission radar and Coyote kinetic effector. Northrop Grumman’s Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control system (FAADC2) and Syracuse Research Corporation’s EW system are also integrated components. The system’s KuRFS offers 360-degree detection, identification and tracking of threats including drones, rockets and artillery through the use of actively electronically scanned array (AESA) technology. The Coyote interceptor is a rail-launched missile fitted with an advanced seeker, warhead, boost rocket motor and turbine engine, billed by Raytheon as a low-cost counter for high-speed UAS. The integrated EW and kinetic response systems make the LIDS a versatile response to incoming UAS and other threats. LIDS C-UAS have operated with the U.S. Army in the Dept. of Defense’s CENTCOM area of operations since 2017.

3. SmartShooter SMASH

Sometimes, C-UAS strategies needn’t re-design the wheel but enhance existing solutions. Israeli firm SmartShooter has attempted just that in its SMASH family of fire-control, optic scopes. Capable of attachment to virtually any rifle, the scope utilizes AI-driven algorithms and imaging processing techniques to track and select UAS targets, even predicting movements. With a range of 800 ft (250 m) in day and 330 ft (100 m) at night, the SMASH optic is geared towards offering kinetic C-UAS options to dismounted ground forces, proving useful in close-quarter environments, where vehicle-mounted systems may be less practical. The scope, already in use with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), has also been recently procured by the British Army.

4. IRIS Counter-UAS Radar

A product of Dutch manufacturer Robin Radar, the IRIS radar system is designed to detect unmanned systems with a high degree of precision, reflecting the needs of a new era of warfare. IRIS’ 3D, 360-degree day-or-night coverage feeds a micro-doppler classification that can distinguish blades and moving components instantaneously. The system can detect, track and classify drones at speeds up to 60 mph (100 km/h) with the company’s On The Move (OTM) add-on, which enables operation on moving vehicles and ships. Drones as small as 3 lb (1.5 kg) can be detected at ranges of 1.25 mi (2 km). The radar’s 65-lb (29-kg), lightweight packaging can be opened and deployed in under 15 minutes, operating over a 5 km (3.1 mi) instrumented range and a 30.1-sq mi (78 km2) coverage area. Another advantage of Robin Radar’s sensor is its capacity to differentiate between small drones and birds, a weakness which has undermined many existing radar systems. The Dutch Ministry of Defense purchased 51 IRIS mobile drone detection radars for use in Ukraine in August, after an original purchase of 51 radars 18 months before.

5. D-Fend EnforceAir

D-Fend Solutions offers a line of RF cyber takeover C-UAS tools, which it dubs EnforceAir, capable of passive tracking and hijacking neutralization of drones. Consisting of compact Software-Defined Radio hardware with omni-antennas, deliverable in a small, light case, the system automatically detects threatening drones and their launch point, then disrupts the signal between controller and platform causing the drone to land safely. The safe-landing neutralization reduces the chance of collateral damage through debris while the high-precision takeover targeting eliminates the risk of interference with other nearby communications systems. The company emphasizes the unique non-jamming, non-kinetic nature of the EnforceAir system as well as the successive EnforceAir2 variant (shown above), requiring no line-of-sight, which it bills as more effective for crowded, noisy environments such as cities and airports. Additionally, D-Fend claims the system is a viable response to UAS swarm tactics, able to take over and neutralize multiple drones simultaneously. D-Fend’s system alongside other similar designs is likely to become a useful tool for asset protection on and off the battlefield.

6. SkyWiper Electronic Drone Mitigation 4 System (EDM4S)

Lithuania’s Skywiper Electronic Drone Mitigation 4 System (EDM4S) is a handheld EW weapon designed by NT Service. Capable of use by a single operator, the portable solution can target UAS at a distance of 2-3 mi (3-5 km), disrupting its control signals, and forcing the system to crash, land, return home or abandon its mission. Handheld, lightweight and reportedly low cost, the SkyWiper EDM4S is one of the more impressive battle-tested UAS jamming weapons available to ground forces today. The system has already seen extensive use in the Ukrainian military combatting Russian drones.

7. EOS Slinger

The Slinger anti-drone system developed by Australia-based company Electro Optic Systems (EOS) is a new take on a classic low-altitude air defense (LAAD), the remote-controlled weapon station (RCWS). Integrating an Echodyne radar, a 4-axis sensor suite and a 30-mm M230LF cannon, this stabilized system can be fixed or mounted to a vehicle, hitting drones with conventional or lightweight proximity sensing ammunition at distances of 2,600 ft (800 m). A secondary 7.62-caliber FN MAG machine gun is also equipped. The main M230LF cannon can fire at a rate of 200 rounds per minute, while the secondary 7.62-cal gun can shoot 1,000 rounds per minute. The system combines advanced radar technology with traditional kinetic response, providing a suitable all-environment anti-drone system at a significantly lower cost than pricey interceptor missiles. Despite unveiling in May 2023, the Slinger has already secured contracts including a purchase by German firm Diehl Defense for donation to Ukraine.

8. Anduril Anvil

UAS specialist Anduril provides a host of unmanned measures and countermeasures, including its novel Anvil line of interceptor drones. These 11.6-lb (5.2-kg) autonomous rotary interceptor vehicles fight fire with fire, directly impacting enemy drones to neutralize them. The system, as well as its more advanced Anvil-M munition variant (shown above), can be carried in an easily deployable launch box. The interceptor drone can be launched at targets of small and medium size as cued up by Anduril’s Lattice software which integrates with a broad variety of sensors and information sources to provide a single usable interface. The Anvil is an exciting option in the drone interceptor C-UAS field which comes from an industry leader in the unmanned systems field. In the future, the Anvil line may see further updates and developments, possibly including the capacity to down larger systems or swarms.

9. High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS)

With drones becoming a greater threat in all domains, Lockheed Martin has developed and delivered a cutting-edge solution for UAS threats at sea, the High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance, or HELIOS. The 60+kW laser weapon has already been equipped to U.S. Navy ships, offering a futuristic-seeming directed energy answer to fast-moving threats including aerial and naval drones. Beyond the spectral beam combined fiber laser, the HELIOS system is fitted with a beam director, ISR & optical trackers, a thermal and environmental management subsystem, an integrated dazzler and a power module. The weapon completed the Navy’s critical design review in 2020 and was integrated onto an AEGIS combat system-equipped ARLEIGH BURKE-class destroyer in 2021. Per Lockheed, the system can be adapted for use on other warships of medium to large size. The HELIOS laser design shows potential for a low-cost, accurate, high-speed C-UAS layer for the U.S. Navy, which may find it equipping its high-value platforms with the system in the near future.

10. Leonidas High-Power Microwave (HPM)

Another futuristic C-UAS option, Epirus Inc.’s Leonidas family of solid-state, High-Power Microwave (HPM) weapons is designed to use long-pulse electromagnetic radiation to disable and destroy unmanned systems at short range. Available as a static system, Leonidas has also been mounted on Stryker 8 x 8 vehicles and the maker even markets a Leonidas Pod installed on an aerial rotary UAS. Most valuably, the Leonidas HPM weapon provides an effective countermeasure against swarming unmanned systems, which are predicted to become a significant threat to conventional defenses. The system is on order from the U.S. Army as part of the service’s Indirect Fire Protection Capability – High-Power Microwave (IFPC-HPM) project. The first prototype unit was delivered in November 2023, with three more units planned for delivery. As one of the most mature HPM technologies on the market, Leonidas is poised to be a system of note for future development in the evolving world of C-UAS.

Honorable Mention: C-UAS Eagles

While many C-UAS solutions embrace cutting-edge, revolutionary technology, some countermeasures propose a response from the world of nature, namely: eagles. Although it may seem incredulous, multiple military and law enforcement units have experimented with training birds of prey to intercept and destroy drones. First attempted by the Dutch police and later embraced in limited contexts by the Swiss police, Indian police and French military, though the former permanently grounded its birds in 2022 and the status of the other programs is unclear. In the French context, eagles were raised to hunt small drones in return for food, swooping from above and forcing the target to the ground around airbases and restricted airspaces. This curious kinetic response is unfortunately hamstrung by limited application, small numbers, training difficulties, animal rights concerns and a host of other factors. While militarized birds are unlikely to become the mainstay of future C-UAS strategies, the experimentation reminds decisionmakers of the novelty and creativity needed to counter an evolving field of drone threats, as well as the utility of unexpected solutions.