Counter-UAS Integration
Detect, track, classify, and respond to hostile drones. From RF sensors and radar to autonomous intercept — the full C-UAS pipeline for your platform.
C-UAS / CUAS
Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System. The full system that detects, tracks, identifies, and (optionally) defeats hostile drones. Can be a single sensor or a multi-layered defense.
RF Detection
Listening for radio frequency emissions from a drone's controller, video transmitter, or telemetry link. Most commercial drones transmit on 2.4 GHz, 5.8 GHz, or 900 MHz. RF detection is passive — you're just listening, not transmitting.
Radar
Active detection — sends electromagnetic pulses and listens for reflections. Can detect drones that aren't transmitting RF (autonomous drones, fiber-optic controlled). Harder to implement, more expensive, but catches what RF can't.
EO/IR (Electro-Optical / Infrared)
Camera-based detection. Visible light cameras for day, thermal cameras for night. AI classifies objects in the feed. Good for confirmation and tracking, limited by range and weather.
Acoustic Detection
Listening for drone motor/propeller sound signatures with microphone arrays. Short range (100-500m) but useful for confirming presence and direction. Works where RF is silent (autonomous drones).
RF Jamming
Transmitting noise on the drone's control frequency to break the link between pilot and drone. The drone then follows its failsafe (usually RTH or land). Requires authorization. Affects all devices on that frequency — including your own.
GPS Spoofing
Sending fake GPS signals to the drone, making it think it's somewhere else. Can redirect the drone to a capture zone or force a landing. Highly controlled — affects all GPS receivers in the area.
Kinetic Defeat
Physically destroying or capturing the drone. Nets (from drones or launchers), projectiles, directed energy (lasers, HPM). The "last resort" layer.
SIGINT / Protocol Analysis
Signals Intelligence. Decoding the actual data in the drone's RF emissions — identifying the protocol (DJI Aeroscope, Autel, MAVLink), extracting serial numbers, operator position, flight path. Much more useful than raw RF detection.
Remote ID
FAA-mandated broadcast identification. As of 2024, most commercial drones broadcast operator ID, position, altitude, and serial number on Bluetooth 5 and Wi-Fi NaN. A free detection layer — but only catches compliant drones.
| Layer | Sensors | Range | Catches | Misses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RF Detection | SDR, spectrum analyzer, dedicated RF sensors | 1-10 km | Any drone transmitting (controller, video, telemetry) | Autonomous drones, fiber-optic, GPS-only nav |
| Remote ID | Bluetooth/WiFi receiver, smartphone | 300m (BT5) / 1km (WiFi) | Compliant commercial drones | Anything non-compliant, DIY builds, military |
| Radar | AESA, FMCW, phased array | 2-20 km | Any flying object (including birds) | Very small drones (<250g), clutter in urban environments |
| EO/IR Camera | PTZ camera, thermal camera + AI | 500m-5 km | Visual confirmation, classification | Bad weather, night (visible only), very small at distance |
| Acoustic | Microphone arrays | 100-500m | Close-range confirmation, direction | Noisy environments, long range |
| Product | Type | Range | Approx Price | Integration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Echodyne EchoGuard | Metamaterial ESA (MESA) | 3 km | $40K-$80K | REST API, NMEA, ASTERIX |
| Echodyne EchoGuard CR | 360° continuous rotation | 3 km (360°) | $80K-$120K | REST API, ASTERIX |
| Robin Radar ELVIRA | FMCW | 5 km | $100K+ | Proprietary API |
| SpotterRF | Compact FMCW | 1.2 km | $15K-$30K | JSON API, SDK |
| Ainstein US-D1 | Radar altimeter (self-protection) | 50m | $300 | Serial/UART, MAVLink |
| Method | How It Works | Pros | Cons | Products |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RF Jamming | Overwhelm control/video freq with noise | Non-kinetic, instant effect, wide area | Affects all devices on freq, drone may not land (autonomous mode), collateral | DroneShield DroneGun, SRC Silent Archer, Blighter AUDS |
| GPS Spoofing | Fake GPS signals redirect drone to capture zone | Precise control of drone path | Affects all GPS receivers in area, complex to implement | Citadel Defense Titan, Battelle DroneDefender (GPS component) |
| Protocol Takeover | Exploit drone protocol vulnerabilities to take control | Full control of target drone | Protocol-specific (works on DJI, not on custom FC), cat-and-mouse with updates | Department 13 MESMER, Zignal |
| Net Capture | Drone-mounted or ground-launched net entangles target | Physical capture preserves evidence | Short range, single shot, target must be tracked | Fortem DroneHunter, SkyWall Patrol |
| Directed Energy | High-power microwave (HPM) or laser damages electronics | Speed of light, low cost per shot, magazine depth | Expensive system, line of sight, power requirements | Raytheon PHASER (HPM), HELWS (laser), BlueHalo LOCUST |
| Kinetic Intercept | Drone-launched interceptor physically collides with target | Works against any target type | Risk of debris, single-use interceptor, needs tracking | Anduril Anvil, CACI SkyTracker + interceptor, Fortem SkyDome |