#Anti-drone

Photo Of The Day and we have the British Armed Forces’ new Anti-Drone Weapon Sight on display. To battle drones, there has been an initial order of 225 SMASH sights, which will be delivered to units across the British Army by the end of this year (2023).

At the DSEI Japan 2023 integrated defense event held in Chiba from 15-17 March, drones and counter-UAV systems were at the center of attention. Companies from across Japan and the world presented drones built for every imaginable mission – from large, long-range platforms intended for strategic reconnaissance to tiny quadcopters intended to aid individual squads and platoons.

British OpenWorks Engineering has published a news article reporting that their  SkyWall100 drone capture system has been demonstrated to the Commandant of the US Marine Corps at the Marine Corps Base Quantico for the Non-Lethal Technology Exercise NNTEX-18C. According to the company, many military officials and observers from multiple NATO countries were also present at this event.

During the  ARMY 2018 International Military-Technical Forum, a Russian company called “ Avtomatika Concern” (a subsidiary of Rostec state corporation) has introduced an anti-UAV gun called “Pishal” (Пищаль – a Russian word meaning the very early hand cannons). Interestingly, this weapon system will be sold both in the military/LE and civilian markets.

A Swiss company called Droptec manufactures a net gun designed to be used against small UAVs. It is a fairly compact weapon and is similar in appearance to a suppressed pistol. As you will see in the video embedded below it is designed to be shot like a handgun, too. This counter UAV weapon is called Dropster.

The Australian company DroneShield has unveiled their latest shoulder-fired drone jammer, the DroneGun Tactical. The company’s latest anti-drone device is said to be more compact than the earlier MkII DroneGun launched last year.

With the interest in DroneShield’s drone jammer from various militaries around the world growing, the company’s shoulder-fired jammer, the DroneGun MkII, has been certified safe for human exposure.

Turkish company Harp ARGE has exported its first anti-drone jamming device to the Azeri military recently, in an unmentioned quantity for delivery. Already in service with numerous Turkish military and security entities, the anti-drone device is being used to combat the usage of drones by enemies for surveillance purposes and even for dropping limited ordnance as has been seen in Iraq and Syria.

One of the latest developments in small arms are anti-drone guns. With the increasing adoption and use of unmanned vehicles, the need for a portable handheld weapon system capable of destroying them becomes more and more important. I won’t be surprised if we see world’s major armies adopting such weapons in near future (at squad or platoon level).

As a part of a force and installation protection program, the United States Airforce (USAF) has ordered 600 “Anti-Drone Rounds” from AMTAC Less Lethal. The initial batch will be used to test the ammunition’s usefulness in law enforcement operations against Type 1 and 2 drones (max 55 pounds and 3500 feet flying altitude). The contract calls for an additional order of 6400 shells if the initial testing phase proves to be beneficial.

This odd contraption had a video released about it in October last year. It is a mechanical device that attaches to the picatinny rails of a firearm, that when aimed at a commercial drone, it sends out a radio pulse in that direction via a sort of electromagnetic wave, that is a signal that activates the out of range signals on many drones. When these signals are activated, the drone thinks it is out of range from the origin location or the control point. It is then programmed to do one of three tasks: Land, hover, or return to the point of origin. The video shows it landing in place, but I’m curious as to what models of drones this would affect. In addition to what sort of blocking mechanism could drone tweekers work into their devices to override this device. I also don’t quite understand how the company is using an AR receiver to mount this device on, and whether they intend to sell it like this. It might just be for the camera, to show how the system works. If anything, I think the system would be effective mounted on an actual shotgun of some sort, so if the drone doesn’t react to the system, then you could still blow it out of the sky if it is above your personal or business property, especially if loaded with birdshot. However the potential for this device in urban areas should be good, if it can be further proven. You also wouldn’t even need an AR upper and lower to use it, I assume a broom handle or similar tube would be just as sufficient.

Leading the good fight against our cyborg overlords this year was ALS defense (Amtech Less-Lethal Systems), with their Skynet anti-drone rounds for 12ga. shotguns and 37mm/40mm launchers.  All kidding aside, this is quite a capable antidrone round.  It works by spreading apart a bolo than can entangle the rotor blades as it ascends toward the drone.  The rounds for the 12ga 3 1/2″ Magnum can ascend 300ft, and achieve a 9 ft diameter, while the 2 3/4″ rounds can achieve a 5ft diameter.  Once they reach the apex of their ascent, the parachute down slowly enough to be caught in one’s hand.  The rounds are also non-toxic.  For drones with shrouded blades, steel shot can be inserted into cavities between the pieces of the round. Perhaps we should do an anti-drone round comparison review in the future, it is becoming a popular category!