Security Hazards Posed by Drones And The Need for Anti-drone

In recent years, drone technology has been developing rapidly, and because of its portability and flexibility, it has been widely used in many fields, such as aerial photography, logistics and transportation. However, the phenomenon of “Unregistered Flight” and “Unregulated Flight” of drones has also become more and more prominent, which has brought a lot of potential safety hazards to the society. For example, in the vicinity of airports, the illegal invasion of drones may interfere with the normal takeoff and landing of airplanes, and even cause serious air accidents; some lawless elements may also use drones to carry out smuggling, reconnaissance, illegal filming and other illegal activities, which seriously violates the privacy of others and national security.

The use of FPV suicide drones in the  conflict has highlighted the threat of drones in the military sphere, while further catalyzing the iteration of anti-drone technology and tactical innovation. These events have made us realize the importance and urgency of strengthening control over drones and developing anti-drone technology.

Existing Drone Detection Technologies

Radar System: This is a common means of detection, where radar waves are emitted and reflected signals are received to detect a drone's position, speed, and other information. However, as the radar cross-sectional area of commercial drones is small and similar to that of birds, traditional radar systems have some difficulty in recognizing them, but advanced radar systems combined with machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies can effectively distinguish drones from other flying objects.

Optical Sensors : These include cameras and infrared thermal imagers, etc., which can detect drones through visible light and infrared light respectively. In good visibility, optical sensors can provide high-resolution images that help to accurately identify the type and characteristics of drones; while at night or under complex weather conditions, infrared thermal imagers can play to their advantage by detecting heat emitted from the drone's engine or battery to find the target. Currently, the application of artificial intelligence-driven detection, tracking and classification technologies has further improved the performance of optical sensors, making them more effective in detecting UAVs both at day and night.

Acoustic Sensors : The sound emitted by the drone is captured mainly through a microphone or microphone array, from which its direction and position are calculated. This method is more effective when the drone is close by, and the cost is relatively low, but in a noisy environment, its performance will be affected to some extent, and there are some challenges in recognizing the acoustic characteristics of different types of drones.

Radio spectrum monitoring: UAVs usually communicate with their remote controls or ground stations during flight, and radio spectrum monitoring equipment can detect and analyze these communication signals to detect and locate UAVs. However, this method is more difficult to detect drones that use certain encrypted or special communication protocols, and the spectrum database needs to be constantly updated and maintained to cope with the emergence of new drones.

Efficient Anti-drone Means

Electromagnetic Interference : By transmitting strong electromagnetic signals to the drone, it interferes with its communication link and navigation system, making it unable to receive control signals normally or losing its navigation ability, and then forcing it to land or deviate from its intended route. This method is relatively simple and low-cost, but it may cause some interference to neighboring electronic equipment.

Laser Weapon: Utilizing high power laser beams to irradiate the optical sensors, batteries or key components of the drone, causing damage or failure, so as to achieve the purpose of shooting down the drone. Laser weapons have the advantages of high precision and speed, but the cost of equipment is high, and their effectiveness will be affected in bad weather conditions.

Network Takeover Systems : These systems can passively detect RF transmission signals from the drone, identify the serial number of the drone and locate the pilot's position, and then send specific signals to invade the drone, take over its control, and guide it to a safe area. The advantages are a low risk of collateral damage and the ability to automatically capture event data critical to forensic investigations, but the technology is relatively new and may be less effective against homemade or state-developed drones.

Deception system : By transmitting false navigation signals, the UAV's navigation system is tricked into misjudging its position or failing to navigate correctly so that it deviates from the target area or lands at a designated location. This method is highly dependent on the drone's navigation system, but for some drones with autonomous navigation capabilities, the difficulty of deception will increase.

Physical interception: For example, using drone capture nets to entangle the target drone by launching capture nets, making it unable to fly; or using small birds to interfere with the drone, allowing them to swoop down on the drone's propellers or fuselage, forcing the drone to land or lose its balance. These methods are more intuitive and effective, but there may be certain risks in the interception process and higher technical requirements for operators.

Drones are now deeply integrated into our lives, bringing us a lot of convenience, but also hidden dangers, privacy is invaded, security is threatened from time to time. Knowledge of anti-drone is like adding an invisible shield to protect our privacy and security. Our company can customize comprehensive drone hazard solutions for you, help you resolve all kinds of threats brought by drones, and build a strong low-altitude security line for you.