(March 1, 2024)
To defend against the malicious use of drones, the Science & Technology Directorate (S&T) evaluated innovative counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) technologies, a.k.a. counter-drone technologies, during two live demonstrations. S&T partnered with the University of North Dakota (UND), which is part of the FAA’s Center of Excellence for Unmanned Air Systems. UND provided S&T its first analysis of the technologies demonstrated and their collateral effects. The second demonstration evaluated potential non-kinetic solutions capable of detecting, tracking, identifying, and countering swarms of small UAS that are being controlled remotely. It also assessed technologies available to detect and mitigate against drones that emit little or no radio frequency (RF) signals, noise, or emissions; these are known as “dark” drones. When used in unison for nefarious purposes, drone swarms could interfere with first responders attempting to respond to an incident at an event with national or international importance, or for a distributed assault on critical infrastructure.