A host of Israeli companies have developed defense systems they say can detect or destroy incoming drones. But obstacles remain, particularly when operating in crowded urban airspaces.
"Fighting these systems is really hard ... not just because you need to detect them, but you also need to detect them everywhere and all the time," said Ulrike Franke, a policy fellow at the European Council of Foreign Relations.
[...]Israel has long been a dominant player in the military drone export business, developing small attack aircraft as well as long-range spy planes. Now, Israeli firms are at the forefront of a global industry developing means to protect against the drone threat.
"There is a lot of knowledge that was adapted from the area of unmanned aerial vehicles, which is something that the military had to deal with for a long, long time," said Ben Nassi, a researcher at Israel's Ben Gurion University specializing in drone threats.
[...]Over a dozen Israeli firms presented cutting-edge anti-drone technologies at London's DSEI exhibition this month, from defense heavyweights Elbit Systems, Raphael and Israel Aerospace Industries, to smaller start-ups like Vorpal. They are part of a booming global industry with competitors from the U.S., Europe, Singapore, and China.
Anti-drone defenses fall into several categories. Detection systems usually rely on either radio or optical technology to spot incoming drones.
Other systems can stop the aircraft with jammers that down aircraft by scrambling communications, kinetic systems that try to knock the craft out of the sky or systems that allow authorities to seize control of an aircraft.
But for now, none of these systems can provide full protection.
"It's a nasty target. It's a problem," said Turniansky. "It's going to be cat and mouse for a while."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 27 2019, @04:05AM (1 child)
All I want to know is will the Israelis sell this tech to the Saudis?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 27 2019, @04:30AM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel%E2%80%93Saudi_Arabia_relations [wikipedia.org]
https://www.mintpressnews.com/amid-yemen-bloodbath-reports-of-new-israel-saudi-arms-deal/249325/ [mintpressnews.com]
The relationship between the Israeli and Saudi governments has improved significantly in the last few years. The answer is probably "Yes, eventually."
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Friday September 27 2019, @04:14AM (1 child)
As the saying goes, you need to be 100% effective in defence.
Attack only needs to succeed once
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by Bot on Friday September 27 2019, @05:13AM
And stopping a drone that costs X will cost more than X, and a fake drone costing less than X can be sent in advance.
OTOH if you retaliate with the same tactic the enemy needs to have some defense system in place else the thing backfires. Also, this raises the bar of feasibility for non false flag terrorist groups.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Friday September 27 2019, @04:45AM (4 children)
Fishnets!
That's what they use to keep the coconuts from falling on your head.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 27 2019, @09:15AM
Fishnuts?
(Score: 2) by gtomorrow on Friday September 27 2019, @11:48AM (2 children)
You kid, but effective the core concept is valid....hmmmmmm.
And, BTW, I love your sig!
(Score: 2) by gtomorrow on Friday September 27 2019, @02:23PM
"effectively"...dope.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Friday September 27 2019, @05:40PM
I'm not kidding. Cast a wide net, and you will bring down the swarm all at once. But don't do it over a residential area.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 27 2019, @05:35AM (4 children)
Current defense models are very inadequate against fully autonomous robotic platforms. Not just against airborne drones, but against full spectrum of available machinery.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 27 2019, @07:19AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vj37yeQQHg [youtube.com]
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 27 2019, @11:00AM (2 children)
Not even remotely true.
Ever hear of something called a 'missile'? Fully automatic, and yet there's loads of defense capability out there. Capability, that's been around, updated, and improved for 70+ years.
It's all about targeting a new type of threat. Modifications are minor. It's no biggie.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 27 2019, @11:06AM (1 child)
A missile is quite difficult to construct and clearly visible on the sky. Good luck when defending against autonomous rats.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 27 2019, @04:29PM
We're having enough trouble with just one.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by jmichaelhudsondotnet on Friday September 27 2019, @04:45PM
When you buy Israeli security, you need an extra layer of security to protect from Israel.
Unless you were born yesterday, which many people apparently were.