US sci-tech contractor
Battelle has developed a revolutionary gun that can target and stop UAVs dead
at a range of just 400 meters using radio signals. It expects to make it
available to US government agencies next year.
“The DroneDefender can
help protect us from those who may wish to do us harm. It can help us in
numerous settings, from the White House lawn to bases and embassies overseas;
from prisons and schools to historic sites. It easily and reliably neutralizes
the threat,” boasted Dan Stamm, who led the research project for the
Ohio-headquartered non-profit company.
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BattelleInnovations / YouTube
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RT report continues:
Makers
say that the model, which looks like a gun with an antenna, instead of a
barrel, weighs less than 5kg, can be switched on in less than one 10th of a
second, and can operate for five hours straight without a recharge.
To
work it, the shooter simply sees the drone, and catches it in its scope, before
pressing a trigger.
“The
system works by disrupting radio control frequencies between the drone and the
pilot. It basically makes the drone think that it’s gone out of range. The
drone enters into its safety protocols which include one of three options.
It’ll either hover in position until the pilot can regain control link, it
lands so the pilot can recover it physically, or it returns to its point of
origin,” Stamm told Motherboard.
Disrupting
both the remote control for the UAV and the GPS signal it sends out, Stamm says
the gun should be “effective against all commercial drones in the United
States.”
The
makers have placed a particular emphasis on not damaging the drone, which might
not be a hostile object, so much as a nuisance, in a sensitive area, such as an
airport, or a secure government site.
“Purposefully
doing damage to aircraft, even by federal agencies, is a big challenge without
rules of engagement, so that’s one of the reasons we’re pursuing this route,”
explained Stamm.
The
DroneDefender appears to use similar technology Anti-UAV Defense System (AUDS)
introduced by a group of UK companies earlier this year. By contrast, AUDS
appears a much more complex van-mounted system, and comprises a radar that
detects UAVs within a five mile range, a sophisticated optical camera, and a
powerful wave gun.
Previous
solutions often appeared to be less elegant, with a European consortium testing
a laser that shoots down drones, and the US Army using guided missiles, shot
from a hefty pellet gun. These may find more use in warzones, than public
neighborhoods.
But in any case, with
shooting drones still illegal in the US, at least, Stamm admitted that there
are “slim chances” that Battelle’s or any other anti-drone systems would be
licensed for private use in the immediate future.
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