Surprisingly, the control systems of many commercial drones are relatively easy to hack these days. Numerous companies are developing devices and writing software to position themselves at the forefront of the rapidly growing market for non-destructive anti-drone solutions. Let's look into this world.
As tempting as it may be, treating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) like annoying insects and fighting them in the same way as mosquitoes - simply destroying them would be a mistake. Despite this, it seems that it is precisely such a representation, which is currently fashionable, that is behind some developments in the field of combating UAVs.
Shooting down drones in flight is not the best option in many cases. On a crowded city street or a crowded public event, rain from drone debris definitely cannot match the usual annoyance of the annoying presence of an intruder.
On the battlefield, which will increasingly become populated areas due to the proliferation of terrorist cells among the civilian population, shooting at a drone can provoke a small explosion. In October 2016, Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq shot down a small drone launched by Islamic State militants (banned in the Russian Federation), which they considered to be intelligence. When they began to examine him, an explosion occurred and two soldiers were killed. IS has tried many times to use small drones to carry out attacks, and therefore a directive was issued in the American contingent, which instructed the military to consider any small aircraft as a potential explosive device. According to one of the world's leading security experts, Peter Singer, "we had to be ready for this, and we were not ready."
In a budget request, the Department of Defense requested $ 20 million in seed funding from Congress to “identify, procure, integrate, and test” technologies that will help combat the UAV threat that poses a major problem to the US military. The request stated that "small tactical UAVs equipped with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) pose a direct threat to US troops and coalition forces."
DARPA Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which is also developing the concept of using "swarms" of drones to suppress enemy forces, has issued a request for information to identify "new, flexible and mobile multilevel defense systems and related technologies to address the increasingly pressing problem of small UAVs, as well as traditional threats. ". According to Jean Ledet, Program Manager for the Office, “We are looking for scalable, modular and affordable approaches that can be deployed over the next three to four years and can evolve rapidly as threats and tactics evolve.”
DARPA is casting big seines, requesting concepts "from all available sources," including companies, individuals, universities, research institutes, government laboratories, and even "foreign organizations."
DARPA notes that the size and low cost of small-sized UAVs (MBVs) “allows for new application concepts that will become a challenge for current defense systems. These emerging non-standard systems and principles of combat use in various operational conditions require the development of technologies for the rapid detection, identification, tracking and neutralization of MBVs while reducing collateral damage and ensuring the flexibility of operations in a variety of combat conditions."
Testing new technologies in real conditions
Black Dart, the Pentagon's annual two-week test of new anti-UAV technology, received an eight-fold increase in funding in 2016, $ 4.8 million, up from $ 600,000 in 2015. The event is held under the auspices of JIAMDO (Joint Integrated Air and Missile Defense Organization). It was attended by 1,200 participants and reviewers, more than 20 government organizations, including the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration, which is working to create systems to protect civil airlines and search and rescue helicopters from dangerous drone intrusion.
The test site was moved from the naval base in California to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. “Eglin allows us to provide additional uncertainty, to provide multiple launch sites for UAVs at different distances, so we can study the complex nature of the threat and the complex nature of defense capabilities,” said exercise leader Ryan Leary. “On the Florida Isthmus, conditions are very diverse. The terrain is not mountainous, but for our operations we have a significant part of the land range, and we also have two ships in the roadstead with the AEGIS system. That is, we can launch drones both over land and over the sea."
"Another area we're looking at is data fusion." Leary noted that the military wants to avoid "too much trust in one person in one place, they want to see several screens from different sources and only then make decisions."
More than 50 anti-UAV systems from 10 different manufacturers, ranging from start-ups to large defense companies, took part in the exercise, with a focus on "non-kinetic and non-destructive impact on a threatening UAV." "Experimental" drones had different sizes, weighing less than 9 kg, flying below 350 meters and slower than 160 km / h, up to devices weighing up to 600 kg with altitudes below 5500 meters and at a speed of no more than 400 km / h.
The budget-funded non-profit research organization MITER organized testing of anti-drone systems in August 2016, focusing on three areas: detection and identification, interdiction and integrated solutions. MITER selected eight finalists from 42 participants, representing 8 countries. The actual flight evaluations were conducted at the Marine Corps Base at Quantico.
At this event, demonstrating the capabilities of anti-drone systems, participants were asked to identify solutions that could: 1) detect small drones (up to 2.3 kg with EPO (effective reflection area) 0, 006 m2) while flying at a distance of up to 6 km and determine the type threats based on geographic coordinates and flight path; and 2) intercept small UAVs perceived as a threat, forcing them to return to a safe area.
Technologies sought include automatic tracking of multiple detected objects, color / IR cameras with zoom on a pan-tilt device to identify detected objects, and cooled and uncooled thermal imagers. Countermeasures for the drone can be as follows:
• Remote frequency jamming: covering the frequency ranges of all commercially available civilian drones
• Jamming GSNS (Global Satellite Navigation System)
• Various power outputs to block drones from 100 meters to several kilometers
• Omnidirectional or directional antennas
• High gain directional antennas for turntable mounts to track the drone and transmit an interference signal towards it.
Potential applications for such systems include protecting critical infrastructure (government buildings, nuclear power plants, airports), providing security for military and paramilitary structures, protecting against espionage attacks, protecting prisons from arms and drug smuggling, and guarding borders.
DroneRanger became the best integrated system and the best detection / detection system in the MITER Challenge. The SKYWALL 100 system is the best isolation and resistance system.
The DroneRanger system, developed by Van Cleve and Associates, is designed to detect UAVs of all sizes, from microdrones to large drones. Microdrons are usually identified within a 2-4 km radius. The DroneRanger includes a circular scan radar and positioning system that integrates day and thermal imaging cameras and RF jammers. Radar detects drones, jammers jam radio frequencies used to remotely control them, and also block the frequency bands of GSNS satellites, which allow drones to fly on autopilot. Frequency jamming can be implemented using directional or omnidirectional antennas, as well as a combination of near and far radio coverage. The frequency bands and output power of the jamming system are adjustable depending on the task being performed, the level of protection and geographic location. Jamming can be done automatically when the drone is detected or in manual mode.
OpenWorks Engineering defended 57 foreign ministers at the OSCE meeting in Berlin in November 2016, deploying its SKYWALL 100 anti-drone cannon “in strategic locations” there. In the SKYWALL system, which looks like an anti-tank grenade launcher, compressed air is used to launch a cassette at an intruder. Before reaching the drone, the cassette bursts, ejecting a net in which the drone becomes entangled with its propellers. The parachute then gently lowers the craft to the ground.
The company says SKYWALL can shoot down a drone at a distance of up to 100 meters. It uses the SmartScope laser aiming system, which shows the distance and turns on a green LED if aiming is correct. The device operates almost silently and can be recharged in just 8 seconds. The company also plans to present soon the SKYWALL 200 semi-stationary tripod launcher and the SKYWALL 300 remote control model for long-term installation.
Fast growing market segment
According to consulting group PricewaterhouseCoopers, the niche market for anti-drone systems has flourished with the rapid expansion of military and commercial markets for drone technology and is estimated to be $ 127 billion by 2020.
Not so long ago, the United States maintained a monopoly on military drone technology, but now 19 countries have or are developing armed drones known as strike UAVs, and 8 countries have used them in combat: USA, Israel, UK, Pakistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Iran and Turkey plus non-state structures Hezbollah and IS. According to the New America Research Center, 86 countries have drones of one type or another, both armed and unarmed, and there are nearly 700 drone development programs in the world.
The segment of anti-UAV systems is, of course, somewhat more modest. The Visiongain Center expects a volume of $ 2.483 billion this year. Visiongain expert Sophie Hammond said: “The emerging market for anti-drone systems is directly related to the growth of the UAV market. Anti-drone systems will be equally attractive to customers in the civil and military sectors due to the growing security threat posed by UAVs. There are many opportunities for companies wishing to enter the market to offer existing or new anti-UAV products.”
The report of this center predicts "large investments in anti-drone systems from the established UAV markets, both military and civilian segments, since the increased use of armed UAVs and small-sized UAVs by terrorist and criminal groups seriously undermines public safety."
Analysts Marketsandmarkets sees lower costs, but still strong growth: “The global anti-drone market is expected to reach 1.14 billion by 2022, at a compound annual growth rate of 2389% from 2017 to 2022. Drones are becoming readily available and pose a new security threat. The detection of these drones has become an important factor in keeping security at a high level. The main drivers of this growth are the growing security gap due to unidentified drones and the use of drones in terrorist activities."
In September 2016, an anti-drone system DroneTracker from the German company Dedrone, using jamming systems from HP Marketing and Consulting Wust, was presented at the annual German-Japanese forum on defense technologies in Tokyo. This system is capable of jamming frequencies 2.4 GHz, 5.8 GHz and GPS / GLONASS signals.
The industry has made significant progress in the development of a number of other solutions for detecting, tracking, and neutralizing drones. Rheinmetall Defense Electronics develops UMIT (Universal Multispectral Information and Tracking); DroneDefence, a division of Corax Concept, developed the Drone Defense Net Gun X1; DroneShield is promoting its tiny device that can be installed near external and internal perimeters; Elbit Systems showed the ReDrone system at last year's HLS 8 Cyber Conference; Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Elta has developed a Drone Guard detection and neutralization system for military and civilian applications; MBDA Deutschland successfully tested a new high-energy laser to combat aerial targets; Telespazio VEGA, a division of Telespazio, which is in turn owned by Leonardo and Thales, participated in the DIDIT (Distributed Detection, Identification and Tracking) study for the Dutch Ministry of Security; Rohde & Schwarz showcased its ARDRONIS anti-microdrones solution at Indo Defense in November 2016 (see below); and finally, ESG Elektroniksystem und Logistik GmbH and Diehl Defense demonstrated, together with partners, their anti-drone system, which provided protection for the G7 summit in 2015. In a modular system specifically designed to combat mini and micro UAVs (less than 25 kg), detection technologies and non-lethal actuators from Rohde and Schwarz, Robin Radar Systems, Diehl Defense and ESG were combined, linked to the TARANIS operational control network.
Threats from the Sky: Commercial Drones and Emerging Public Safety Challenges
Commercial drones pose a threat to public safety because they can carry chemical, explosive, biological or incendiary substances on board. Other threat scenarios include drug trafficking, air traffic risks and industrial espionage. Stopping them is quite challenging as they can avoid police cordons, walls and hedges by simply flying over them.
The effectiveness of countermeasures using visual and acoustic detection is sometimes reduced due to local interference. For successful operation, detection systems need to have high sensitivity, provide early warning, but not generate false alarms. But detection is not enough, the complex system must also have safe and reliable means of neutralizing threats.
Most of the countermeasures systems (useful in certain scenarios) fall short of complex solutions. Technology that can destroy commercial drones can also destroy or disrupt irrelevant objects. Perhaps the critical shortcomings of individual systems are that they lack an immediate seamless interaction between detection and response subsystems, which is critical for the successful completion of the task.
Rohde & Schwarz's ARDRONIS combines threat detection, identification and mitigation in a highly reliable portable system. Its benefits include:
• Detection and identification of signals or remote control channel of the drone and determination of its direction, • Technological expansion and integration with other sensor systems, such as optoelectronics or radar, • Comprehensive awareness: all relevant frequencies are scanned 360 degrees
• Selective neutralization of threats: the countermeasures of the R&S ARDRONIS do not interfere with neighboring signals, such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and
• Deployment flexibility: R&S ARDRONIS can operate as a stand-alone stationary system, as a mobile unit, or can be integrated into larger security centers.
An effective countermeasure system must alert security personnel of a threat before the drone takes off. Ideally, it should identify specific drones and indicate the exact location of operators for appropriate action. The ARDRONIS radar monitoring system also meets these criteria.
The system uses the radio channels of the drone controllers, which, as a rule, operate at 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz frequencies allocated for industrial scientific and medical purposes, or use 433 MHz or 4.3 GHz frequencies. Monitoring these ranges and knowing the electronic fingerprint of every commercial drone is the key to the success of the R&S ARDRONIS.
An extensive database of control signals allows it to detect and identify commercial drones. The system distinguishes between their waveforms, allowing their drones to operate in the same area. Security personnel can immediately apply countermeasures and safely stop an invasion. R&S ARDRONIS interferes with control signals and prevents the drone from performing its task.
The R&S ARDRONIS has already been tested in real conditions. At the G7 summit in Germany and during Barack Obama's visit to the Hanover Fair in 2016, the system performed tasks to ensure the safety of these sites from the penetration of remotely controlled drones.
Detect, identify, disable
The following list identifies just a few companies, large and small, that are looking to expand their anti-aircraft business:
MESMER: This Department 13 startup drone interceptor has participated in the previously mentioned Black Dart and MITER Challenge; In essence, it makes the drone control system work for itself. Jonathan Hunter, director of Department 13, said they are using open source software called "protocol manipulation." MESMER can capture and decode raw telemetry data and possibly base station or controller signals. In some cases, it can even capture video, data from an accelerometer, magnetometer and other onboard systems. “We need the drone signal, not its frequencies. This allows the drone and specific airspace to be controlled,”Hunter said. - We do not jam, we intercept the signal and carefully plant it. Or we can take him out of the zone by means of reverse thrust, that is, not let him fly over the prohibited area."
He explained that computers, drones and programmable systems use multiple layers of the communication protocol. Changing a bit from 0 to 1 can change the signal of the drone so that it can only communicate with its new controller. “With protocol manipulation, you have complete control over the drone. You can make him hover, sit down, send him home, or even fly him. When you jam, you jam all frequencies used by the drone. We're just changing the drone signal."
The technology works on "known" drone protocols, but may be effective on unknown drones as well. Hunter said MESMER can intercept the signal from at least 10 drones, representing roughly 75% of the commercial market. The company is also developing a catalog of drones of potential adversaries. Reportedly, DARPA and the Department of Homeland Security are currently closely monitoring the development of the MESMER device.
DRONE DEFENDER: Drone Defense uses a combination of its Dedrone DroneTracker unauthorized UAV detection and identification system, then the Dynopis E1000MP or NET GUN X1 anti-drone cannons disable them. DroneTracker uses acoustic, optical and infrared sensors to detect and locate incoming UAVs in real time. The system can be installed either in a stationary position or used as a mobile unit. The range of the system is from 200 meters to 3 kilometers.
When a drone is detected, a Dynopis portable jammer is activated to block its control signals, video signals and GPS, and according to the company, "the drone returns to its launch position, lands or simply flies away from the restricted area." The system operates at the control frequencies of most commercial drones, including 2.4 and 5.8 GHz for video.
The optional NET GUN uses two different types of capture nets so that law enforcement officers can lasso an unwanted drone up to 15 meters away.
Airbus C-UAV: Airbus DS Electronics and Border Security (EBS), soon to be renamed Hensoldt, says its system can detect potential drone threats at a distance of 5-10 km and land them with electronic countermeasures. The system uses radar, infrared cameras and direction finders to identify drones. The operator then compares the data with the threat library and analyzes the control signals in real time, and then decides whether to jam the signal and interrupt the communication between the drone and its operator. If necessary, the operator can also initiate a controlled interception. Intelligent Reactive Jamming technology ensures that only drone signals are jammed, other adjacent frequencies are not affected.
In addition, Airbus DS EBS has added a portable jamming system to its family of anti-drone products that detect illegal intrusion by small drones and employ electronic countermeasures to minimize consequential losses. After several product revisions, the entire family of these systems received the name XPELLER, the "naming" took place at the CES electronics show in Las Vegas. The latest addition to the XPELLER range is a lightweight jamming system from Hensoldt's South African subsidiary, GEW Technologies, to complement the existing portfolio. Until now, the XPELLER family of modular systems has consisted of Hensoldt's own products, myDefence short-range RF detectors and Dedrone's optoacoustic RF sensors.
ICARUS: Lockheed Martin showed off its non-kinetic anti-drones solution, ICARUS, last year. It uses three sensors to identify unmanned systems: a radio frequency sensor to jam control and communication signals, and acoustic and optical sensors to identify the drone. Operators also receive visual data showing the property in the context of local geographic data. Operators can interfere with communication channels, intercept control signals, disable selected systems, for example, a camera, disrupt electronics for a forced landing or a drone crash.
KNOX: This system uses drone control signal detection and a "unique drone radar" that is specifically designed to detect UAVs and can distinguish them from birds. MyDefence Communication, the creator of KNOX, was originally formed in 2009 as a business unit of the Swedish defense company Mykonsult AB. According to the company, "KNOX is a scalable networked system with hardware and built-in software algorithms for detecting and disrupting drones, combined with a graphical user interface." The system "disrupts" communication at the exact frequency of the drone without interfering with other RF signals. " This can cause the drone to land or return to the takeoff location.
AUDS: The AUDS (Anti-UAV Defense System) is a collaboration between three British companies Bliahter Surveillance Svstems. Chess Dynamics and Enterprise Control Systems. It combines electronic scanning radar for detection, optoelectronics for tracking and classification, and directional RF jamming.
Frequency Modulated CW Doppler radar operates in electronic scanning mode and provides 180 ° azimuth and 10 ° or 20 ° elevation coverage, depending on configuration. It operates in the Ki range and has a maximum range of 8 km, and can determine an effective reflection area of up to 0.01 m2. The system can simultaneously capture several targets for tracking.
The Chess Dynamics Hawkeye Surveillance and Search System is installed in the same unit with an RF jammer and consists of a high-resolution optoelectronic camera and a cooled medium-wave thermal imager. The first has a horizontal field of view from 0.22 ° to 58 °, and a thermal imager from 0.6 ° to 36 °. The system uses a digital tracking device Vision4ce, which provides continuous tracking in azimuth. The system is capable of continuously panning in azimuth and tilting from -20 ° to 60 ° at a speed of 30 ° per second, tracking targets at a distance of about 4 km.
The ECS Multiband RF Silencer features three integrated directional antennas that form a 20 ° beam. The company has gained extensive experience in the development of technologies for countering improvised explosive devices. A company representative told about this, noting that several of its systems were deployed by coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. He added that ECS knows the vulnerabilities of data transmission channels and how to use it.
The heart of the AUDS system is the operator control station, through which all system components can be controlled. It includes a tracking display, a main control screen, and video recording displays.
Dronegun: Jamming system for drone DroneGun weighing 6 kg jamming frequencies 2, 4 and 5, 8 GHz, as well as signals from the GPS system and the Russian satellite system GLONASS. Instead of knocking down the drone, he forces it to land or return to the launch site. Australian company DroneShield says the system detects drones through acoustic recognition. "We record noise in a specific area, remove background noise with our patented technology, and then we can determine the presence of the drone and what type it is."
EXCIPIO: Theiss UAV Solutions, starting with the development of an ultralight aircraft, has developed a "non-lethal, non-destructive anti-drone system for" surgical removal of potential threats. " In other words, it is a network mounted on various aircraft and helicopter platforms. When EXCIPIO (Latin for "I capture") is over the target UAV, it fires the net at the operator's command. After "catching" the target can be slowly lowered or carried to the desired location.
Defense industry: The Russian company "United Instrument-Making Corporation" announced the completion of the creation of a new electronic warfare complex "Rosehip-AERO", designed to disrupt the work of swarms of combat mini-drones by "roasting" their electronic systems, which turns drones into "useless pieces of iron and plastic."
How to hack a drone
Disrupting a drone by hacking into its systems is not a big deal. Virtually anyone can do it. The American eclectic DIY magazine published step-by-step instructions, but with a warning that it is illegal to access computer systems that you do not own, damage other people's property, or jam electronic signals.
“Modern drones are essentially flying computers and therefore most of the attack methods that have been developed for traditional computer systems are also effective against them,” explained drone hacker Brent Chapman. WIFI 802.11 is a key interface for many of today's drones, including Parrot's VEVOR and AR. Drone 2.0, which are Wi-Fi-only controlled. AR. Drone 2.0 creates an access point that is open by default and has no authentication or encryption, Chapman said. Once the user connects to the hotspot via a smartphone, the hacker can launch an app to control the drone. “The AR. Drone 2.0 is so susceptible to hacking that there are even entire communities and competitions to modify this particular drone,” he said.
“Always make sure when you conduct tests that there are no people or fragile objects under the drone,” Chapman warned. Time will tell, but already now there is a clear trend that indicates that anti-UAV technologies are actively developing not only in the military and law enforcement spheres, but also in the civilian.
