The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has highlighted the impact of inexpensive drones causing significant damage to advanced, costly targets. This insight, combined with the effectiveness of Hamas's drone attack on Israel on October 7, has spurred the anti-drone industry to innovate technologies to combat drone threats on the battlefield.
Recently, Russia has deployed new AI-powered anti-drone systems, Abzats and Gyurza, in Ukraine. Abzats, a mobile jamming platform, uses AI to autonomously execute electronic warfare tasks, jamming frequencies utilized by UAVs. Similarly, Gyurza's AI selectively jams frequencies used by Ukrainian drones, neutralizing them. Oleg Zhukov, CEO of Geran, a Russian research company, affirmed the effectiveness of AI in electronic warfare for automatically suppressing enemy drones.
Ukraine, meanwhile, is receiving various counter-drone systems from the U.S., such as counter-drone gun trucks and laser-guided rockets. Additionally, Ukraine has acquired several CORTEX Typhon systems from Norway's Kongsberg, which detect drones via radar and shoot them down with missiles. Ukraine has also developed its own EW systems like the Brave1 and the L3Harris VAMPIRE, a laser-guided missile launcher used effectively against Iranian-produced Shahed drones.
Israel is a key player in the counter-drone sector with systems like Rafael's Drone Dome and Elbit's ReDrone, which detect drones and emit jamming signals to disrupt their operation. These systems are used by various countries to protect critical infrastructure and are considered highly effective.
The counter-drone market is growing rapidly, projected to reach $14.6 billion by 2031 from $1.3 billion in 2021, driven by key players like Lockheed Martin, Dedrone, and Raytheon Technologies. However, the cost imbalance between cheap drones and expensive countermeasures poses a significant challenge. Experts argue that the industry has yet to develop universally applicable, scalable solutions.
Brett Velicovich, CEO of Drone Experts, noted the vast number of counter-drone technologies, but no single solution guarantees complete protection against drones. The real challenge lies in creating an affordable, effective system adaptable to various situations.
There are four main categories of counter-drone systems: Tracking, Jamming, Kinetic, and Hybrid/Cyber approaches. Tracking and jamming systems locate and disrupt drone signals, while kinetic systems destroy drones with projectiles. However, these systems' effectiveness varies based on location and situation, especially against multiple drone attacks.
As drone technology advances, new vulnerabilities in sensors and radar coverage are exploited. Consequently, there is growing emphasis on building impenetrable shelters like bunkers against drone attacks.
A report from the "Modern War Institute" at the US Military Academy outlines three primary defense strategies against one-way attack drones: shooting them down, using electronic interference, or seeking shelter. Despite expensive technologies, simple measures like sandbags and concrete remain effective. Bunkers, combined with radars and concrete T-walls, provide essential protection, although overhead coverage is crucial against precise attacks.
In conclusion, counter-drone operations require a multi-layered defense combining active and passive measures. A single, simple solution is not feasible, and the ongoing conflict will continue to see evolving tactics between drones and counter-drone technologies.
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