With the rapid advancement of drone technology, counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) have become a critical strategic task in global military defense. From Ukraine’s successful “Operation Spiderweb” in shooting down Russian strategic bombers during the Russia-Ukraine conflict, to Israel’s large-scale airstrikes against Iran and Iran’s saturation attacks using missiles and drones in recent conflicts, a series of modern combat cases highlight the disruptive impact of drone swarms on the battlefield. As the application scenarios of drones continue to expand, the security threats they pose are becoming increasingly severe. Developing efficient and reliable counter-drone technology has become an urgent priority.
Current State of Counter-Drone Technology
Detection and Identification Technologies
Current mainstream drone detection methods include radio frequency (RF) analysis, radar detection, visual/thermal imaging recognition, and acoustic sensing.
RF Analyzers: Equipped with comprehensive functions such as spectrum analysis, interference detection, and power testing, they can capture radio signals between drones and ground control stations to obtain location information. These devices are cost-effective and support multi-target tracking, but their ability to identify drones relying on special flight modes such as inertial navigation is limited.
Radar Detection: 2D radar can detect most drones but cannot provide altitude information, a shortcoming effectively addressed by 3D radar. Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) radar further enhances the detection and tracking capabilities for drone swarms. However, drones generally exhibit features such as low altitude, slow speed, and small radar cross-section, making them susceptible to ground clutter interference, which affects detection accuracy.
Taking the XW/SR226-5000SA 2D phased array radar developed by Wuhan Lakeda as an example, this device employs electronic scanning in both horizontal and vertical directions, offering rapid response, wide-area coverage, and multi-task parallel processing capabilities. It can track hundreds of targets simultaneously, with strong resistance to saturation attacks, making it highly suitable for high-density and high-mobility target environments.
Utilizing advanced technologies such as adaptive beamforming and sidelobe suppression, this radar achieves “fast, accurate, intelligent, and stable” operational effectiveness, making it a core equipment for countering low, slow, and small (LSS) targets.
Visual and Thermal Imaging Sensors: Perform accurately in close-range identification but are easily limited by weather and lighting conditions, with significantly degraded performance in harsh environments.
Acoustic Sensors: Determine drone方位 by recognizing their noise, suitable for autonomously flying drones that do not rely on radio signals. However, environmental noise can severely affect their accuracy.
In practical applications, multiple detection technologies are often combined to build a multi-layered, highly robust drone detection system.
Countermeasure Technologies
Current primary drone countermeasures include:
- RF Jamming: Disrupts the communication link between the drone and its control terminal by emitting jamming signals, affecting its detection and data transmission capabilities. This is the most widely used countermeasure method.
Wuhan Lakeda’s “Owl” omnidirectional counter-drone system enables dual detection via radar and spectrum analysis within a range of 2–3.5 km, and performs spoofing and radio jamming within 1 km. Its high-gain directional antenna delivers single-channel power of 25–30 W, with concentrated energy and a jamming range of 1–5 km. The system can automatically execute defense plans, striking or navigating “rogue” drones to effectively ensure airspace security.
Signal Intrusion: Intercepts control signals by cracking communication protocols or implanting malicious software to take over the target drone. This technique requires advanced expertise and a deep understanding of the target’s network architecture and communication mechanisms.
Aerial Interception and Fire Strike: Leverages the relatively fixed flight paths and slower speeds of drones, allowing interception by aviation units, ground forces, or naval air defense systems. However, such methods may cause collateral damage and are unsuitable for densely populated areas.
Laser Weapons: Use high-energy laser beams to irradiate drones, damaging their critical components through thermal effects. They offer advantages such as rapid response, high flexibility, strong anti-jamming capability, and lower costs, but are susceptible to adverse weather conditions like rain and fog.
Counter-Drone Drones: Equipped with detection, jamming, or even suicide interception devices, they can identify, track, and destroy enemy drones. For example, the U.S. “MORFIUS” drone offers high stealth and lower costs, making it suitable for achieving asymmetric combat balance.
Application Scenarios
Counter-drone technology has been widely applied in military and civilian security fields:
- In the military domain, Russia deployed various counter-drone systems in Syria to intercept enemy targets and incorporated related drills into major exercises after 2019.
- In the civilian sector, it is primarily used to protect critical facilities such as airports, nuclear power plants, and large-scale events. For instance, during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, “drone hunter” systems were deployed to ensure venue security.
By 2025, mainstream counter-drone systems are expected to widely use 2D/3D radar for precise positioning and gradually evolve toward intelligence and integration.
Future Trends in Counter-Drone Technology
Intelligence and Automation
Future systems will widely incorporate artificial intelligence and advanced algorithms to achieve rapid target identification, automatic tracking, and intelligent decision-making. For example, Northrop Grumman’s AI-enhanced air defense system developed for the U.S. Army can complete combat decisions and autonomously intercept drone swarms in extremely short timeframes.
Multi-Functional Integration
Counter-drone systems will integrate various countermeasures, flexibly selecting or combining different technologies based on threat types and environmental conditions to build a comprehensive, multi-layered defense system.
Portability and Stealth
Equipment will trend toward miniaturization, lightweight design, and high stealth capabilities, facilitating rapid deployment in diverse combat and security scenarios while reducing the likelihood of detection and interference by enemies.
Cost Reduction and Efficiency Improvement
Technological iterations will lower system costs, promoting broader application and deployment. Simultaneously, continuous improvements in detection accuracy, response speed, and countermeasure efficiency will enable efficient drone defense and control in a more economical manner.
Conclusion
Counter-drone technology has become a core issue in modern security. Faced with emerging threats such as drone swarms, it is essential to continuously advance technological research, development, and application innovation, while strengthening international collaboration and regulatory frameworks. Only in this way can we effectively address the security challenges posed by drones and safeguard national and social stability.