Anti-Drone Tactics and Technologies

There is an urgent need to broaden the conversation beyond tethered systems and into the expanding domain of electronic attack (EA), electronic warfare (EW), and electromagnetic interference (EMI) across all drone platforms. Alongside their growth, counter-drone C-UAS, capabilities have evolved. Among the most proven yet under-discussed, electromagnetic interference and active jamming. Even as drones grow more autonomous, they remain heavily reliant on: • GNSS signals (GPS, GLONASS, etc.) • RF links (control, telemetry, video feed) • Sensor fusion (radar, LiDAR, optical) • Digital onboard processing vulnerable to EMI “leakage” • Sensitive power and propulsion systems. Fiber-optic tethered drones were once believed to be more resistant, due to their “closed-loop” data channels. However, operational tests and classified field reports (including NATO’s C-UAS reports and DARPA red-team trials) show that even tethered drones can be rendered nonfunctional via indirect EMI, directed energy, or ground-based disruptions. Solutions: 1. Hardening Through EMI Shielding and Isolation • Faraday shielding of sensitive electronics and gimbaled sensors is now standard in military designs. • Power supply filtering and fiber-optic transceivers must be shielded against high-energy RF pulses and EMP-like spikes. 2. Adaptive Frequency-Hopping and Spread Spectrum • High-end C-UAS jammers rely on brute-force RF saturation. • In response, drones with spread spectrum communications (DSSS, FHSS) can maintain signal integrity, especially when encrypted and using agile protocols. • Comms switching is being piloted by NATO labs, adjusting frequency bands on the fly based on threat detection. 3. Tether Redundancy and Dual-Link Design • Redundant fiber links, shielded copper backup lines, or even air-gapped reversion systems are now being introduced in ISR and defense-grade tethered drones. • In some designs, a loss of tether triggers a satcom or LTE fallback system. 4. Pre-Mission EMI Mapping and Electromagnetic Preparation EMI mapping is becoming essential for drone operations. DoD and European forces have begun integrating SIGINT/EW, offering real-time EMI mitigation planning. 5. Use of Quantum-Resilient and Optical Communications While still experimental, quantum key distribution (QKD) and free-space optical communications (FSOC) are being considered to augment or replace RF links in sensitive missions. Looking ahead, at ePropelled we are interested in making drones survivable in tough environments. This calls for interdisciplinary research in drone design survivability of propulsion, power system, autonomy. The industry must pull together systems engineers, EW experts, software security professionals, and operations analysts. The next question must be: How do we build drones that can think, adapt, and survive—not just fly? #ePropelled #dronesystems #Survibilty #communicationsytems #EA #EMI #NATO #DoD #MoD #CUAS

Counter UAS space is red hot, and there are plenty of opinions, ideas, as well as some less than accurate publications - like fantastic videos of flipping a switch on a magical box - and bam! bad drones instantly fall off the skies... The reason so much attention goes to this topic is that unlike other domains - light UAVs introduce the highest asymmetry in terms of costs and efforts of putting together the threat vs. the impact it can inflict. And the technical barriers are so low such that it doesn't even require a state actor to pull off. Add the rapid advances in AI and edge computing - and we're looking at some real disruptions around the corner. There are many players in this field with different thesis and focus. Everything is a trade-off, strategies will evolve both in the test range and on the field, and ultimately there will be multiple tools deployed in different layers for different scenarios and threat types. Our thesis/approach focuses on balancing 3 things: 1. Engagement envelope. 2. Costs. 3. Scale. As seen in the Ukraine theatre - jamming and other EW soft defeat methods no longer suffice. Fiber optic spools and other methods easily circumvent jamming, allowing them to reach their targets. Today - the most effective go-to choices demonstrated both in Ukraine and in Israel - have been guided missiles or helicopter engagements. Evidently these work pretty well - but come at high costs that limit scale. And looking just a tad over the horizon - the drone war we see in Ukraine is a nothing-burger compared to what swarms of smart, tactical drones will look like in the very near future. Imagine a shock-and-awe campaign in this new era... So what else is being cooked? a. Ground based Directed Energy systems (lasers and high power microwaves) with range (declared) up to ~10km, that cost a lot per system but promise sub-$ cost per shot (unverified) - as long as reliable high power feed is available. b. Ground based smart machine guns (like ACS) that can poke targets up to ~2km away. c. Light UAVs that match or exceed the performance of swarm threats and engage in the air - far ahead before they are within reach of ground based systems So if you care about pushing the engagement envelope far and away - the lowest cost, most scaleable methods leads to using UAVs. Plenty of them In today's (very high) costs - a $100M will get you about 1x Apache, some ~50x guided missiles - or 2,000x group1/2 UAVs - that can all engage simultaneously different targets, instead of one helicopter chasing one drone at a time. Now take that a step further. There are a lot of developments of single-use kamikaze drones - which at best bring to a cost parity. How do we break that equation? Simple: we arm drones with low-cost kinetics. Maximizing engagement envelope. Minimizing costs. Deploying at scale. Yeehaw!

General Dynamics has allied with Epirus to forge the #Stryker X - a hybrid of the Stryker military vehicle and the futuristic antidrone capabilities of the Leonidas system https://lnkd.in/ghnMJSqS. The Stryker X is a tailored armory on wheels, fortified with laser weaponry, drone deployment features, and electronic warfare tools dedicated to neutralizing aerial threats. With its laser sharp precision and far-reaching beam, the Stryker X, alongside Leonidas, is about to deploy the first electronic force field in the world. #Epirus' method involves a solid-state, software-controlled high power #microwave #HPM that can destroy electronic targets using #beamforming (a technique that focuses a wireless signal towards a specific target) – allowing operators to disable enemy threats without damaging friendly technology close by. Perhaps its most attractive attribute is its diminutive size. Current systems are very bulky, occupying shipping containers full of vacuum tubes and coolants. Leonidas, on the other hand, uses #GalliumNitride power amplifiers, meaning it can fit onto a small trailer and be towed by a car or mounted onto the deck of a ship. It can also power up and down in minutes rather than the hours required by vacuum-tube HPM systems. Epirus has also developed the "Leonidas Pod", a compact HPM beam emitter that can be, somewhat ironically, carried by a #drone itself – leading one to wonder if future warfare really is heading into the realms airborn electronic warfare, whereby computer-controlled adversaries do battle beam versus beam.

New developments in Counter-UAS center on high-power microwave (HPM) weapons. As reported in The Merge, venture-backed #defensetech startup Epirus has developed a HPM solution called Leonidas. "Epirus' Leonidas puts up a shield of energy that disables pretty much anything that flies into it. Unlike laser systems or kinetic methods, which attack one target at a time, HPM can attack multiple drones simultaneously--a unique capability that's particularly valuable against swarming drone attacks that typically overwhelm traditional defenses. And it does it for just a few dollars per shot." Even more promising, Leonidas represents how DoD can work with a startup to develop innovative, critical new technologies. The effort was led by Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office. After delivering 4 prototypes for testing, the Army immediately deployed Leonidas to real world missions in the Middle East. In the meantime, Epirus has already invested on its own in a 100,000 sqft factory to scale production. 8VC Bedrock #defenseinnovation #defensetech #freedomsforge https://lnkd.in/eJkrUDts