Revolutionary Counter-Drone Radar Developed

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The available drone tracking radars have been limited in their fields of view and affected by daily weather conditions that reduce detection probability. Acoustic sensors are prone to noise pollution and are not able to provide precise tracking of targets.

For the first time, a revolutionary counter-drone radar 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.  

The 3D-500 radar manufactured by SpotterRF measures latitude, longitude and altitude of all aerial targets in a 1 km wide hemisphere dome, even directly above the radar with no gaps in coverage. Rapid threat assessment is simple with the automatic detection and 3D tracking of sUAS combined with fully automated camera cueing on the target.

The full drone mitigation system consists of the following: the compact 3D-500, a long-range optical/thermal camera, a small networked hub containing power management and integration software, and an optional mitigation component – often a directional RF jammer on a pan/tilt turret to make even threat response automated, according to uasvision.com.

In a typical scenario, a sUAS approaches the site and enters the 500 meter detection radius of the radar; the 3D radar automatically detects the target and tracks its location in midair, triggering an alarm to the operator; simultaneously, the PTZ camera is cued automatically to the target in real-time; the operator glances at the screen and assesses the threat in just a few seconds; then a decision to activate the directional RF jammer may be made; triggered, the communication from the controller is actively jammed, which typically sends the sUAS back to the pilot removing the threat from the area; the pilot can then be located and detained. Alternatively, the jammer can be set to automatically apply its threat mitigation protocols if no operator is present to assess the situation.

The flexibility of the 3D-500 makes it capable of being set up nearly anywhere in a manner of minutes. Within a couple hours it can be calibrated, configured and ready for full system use on top of buildings, on stadiums, prisons or other structures. This makes it ideal for use in quick deployment applications or mobile force protection.