ADF General discussion thread

[SammyC]

Many EW solutions for Counter-UAS offer a controlled descent option for bringing down UAS. Apparently effectively taking over C2 for the drone itself.

Won’t work in all situations and likely won’t work at all against milspec drones, but would seem to be the obvious answer for how to bring down a drone in civilian airspace…

EW solutions are good, and I know several are in the making. I read an article in today's Australian that talks about Chinese links to a product installed at RAAF Williamtown for testing. This might turn out to be a problem it might not, but it highlights just one of the concerns with this approach.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/na...s/news-story/8136ae8b0fbd307f71763e537e01a266

Equally, technology changes so fast, in Ukraine it is now standard for drones to have EW counter measures, limiting the effectiveness of this defence.

The gun has some benefit in this environment in that it is kinetic, and that is hard for a drone to develop a countermeasure against (speed, manoeuvrability and armour are not its strong points without substantial cost increase and reduction in covalency).

Missiles are expensive, EW is subject to ever increasing countermeasures, guns seem to be coming back into fashion for air defence.

 

[SammyC]

Australia plans shoot-to-kill drone laws to counter rising threats

Paywall with the AFR, however it relates to Federal legislation that will be presented before the end of the year, giving greater authority to agencies to destroy drones over restricted airspace. I assume this would cover who is responsible for collateral damage from a falling drone or from projectiles to shoot the drone.

I actually didn't realise that this authority was needed, but it does show an intent to start being more agressive with intrusions going forward. Presumably greater use of non kinetic systems, but I wonder if this then precipitates Slinger style mobilisation across establishments. I saw on other news EOS got a $700 million contract for a middle eastern country (assume Saudi Arabia) for an anti drone package centred around their MARRS NiDAR product. I would view this would be a good approach for Australia as well. The NiDAR is a tactical AI C2 that can automate drone defence across a range of effectors and sensors.

Also included in the article, is that non defence government agencies (such as prisons and commercial airports and harbours) are becomming significant customers to anti drone providers such as Droneshield. By the sounds of it the Federal government intends to establish a panel of approved anti drone providers, for other government agencies to source from.