How to detect and prevent unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)? Sputnik news agency reviewed a series of systems capable of intercepting UAVs.
Missile defense system
RLK-MTs Valdai, Russia’s specialized radar system to detect, intercept and neutralize small unmanned aerial vehicles – (Image: SPUTNIK)
During the second half of the twentieth century, the Soviet Union and the United States focused on missile and air defense systems aimed at fighters, bombers, transport aircraft, ballistic and cruise missiles. Large and expensive manned.
The main focus of air and missile defense systems remains missile-launched munitions designed to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft and missiles.
For large drones, including unmanned combat aircraft (UCAV) such as the Bayraktar TB2, General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper or Northrop Grumman RQ-4A Global Hawk, with a wingspan of 12, 20, or even 40m respectively, the most effective defense is still old-fashioned missiles designed to target jets.
Dedicated Radar
For smaller, more difficult-to-detect drones, including mini and micro UAVs, the Russian military has developed an RLK-MTs Valdai air defense system to counter it.
This is a specialized radar specially designed to detect, intercept and neutralize small drones with extremely low radar cross section.
Missile systems in a parade on the streets of Moscow – (Photo: SPUTNIK).
It is designed to detect enemy drones at a distance of up to 15km and knock them down with electronic countermeasures (using a control and navigation signal suppression module) at a range. close to 2km or less.
The commander of the Russian air defense forces, Lieutenant General Andrey Demin, confirmed that the RLK-MTs “performed combat missions to protect important military and state facilities, including those in the zone. special military operations area”.
Laser against drones
Advances in pulsed laser weapons have raised the prospect of their use in modern warfare. In 2022, Yuri Borisov – former deputy prime minister responsible for defense and space industry – revealed that the Russian military had tested a mysterious combat laser system called Zadira that was capable of burning down aircraft. unmanned for a few seconds at a distance of up to 5km in Ukraine.
Russia is not the only country using laser weapons against drones. The US and Israel are also working on this weapon.
Using UAVs against UAVs
Last but not least on the list of mobile anti-drone defense systems are other UAVs.
Systems like the ZALA Lancet suicide drone are capable of targeting enemy UAVs.
When an enemy UAV approaches, the Lancet locks onto the enemy target and dives at it at high speed to force it out of the sky.
