Echodyne radars in DARPA programme testing
Echodyne’s radar technology was deployed as part of a test flight for DARPA’s Aerial Dragnet programme in San Diego during October.
Echodyne's EchoGuard and EchoFlight radars were deployed on two large tethered aerostat balloons flying at an altitude of 400ft over San Diego and National City, as well as fixed building-top and tower mounted locations. The testing assessed how well the systems could detect, track and identify over 150 sorties of drones in simulated rogue drone operational scenarios.
The radars were tuned to tuned to detect and track small drones and distinguish them from background objects such as buildings, vehicles and birds, in order to deliver comprehensive surveillance of drone activity in San Diego's urban airspace.
The test was carried out in conjunction with the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington.
DARPA's Aerial Dragnet programme aims to enable the detection and tracking of small UAS in urban terrain. The programme seeks new technologies to provide persistent, wide-area surveillance of all UAS operating below 1,000ft in a large city. While the focus is on protecting military troops operating in urban settings overseas, the system could ultimately find civilian application to help protect US metropolitan areas from UAS-enabled
terrorist threats.
More from Uncrewed Vehicles
-
Reamda upgrades Grasshopper UGV observation mast
Reamda, an Irish engineering company with a focus on UGVs and defence applications, delivered its Riddler platformed to the Irish Defence Forces last year.
-
Roke unveils new CUAS solution
The Roke Agile CUAS has been designed to provide protection for military and civilian situations, as well as to handle swarms of UAS by using a range of sensors.
-
Russia reaches new monthly record for Lancet use in Ukraine
The aggressor’s armed forces have adapted Lancet to Ukrainian conditions via iterative developments accompanied by a significant expansion in production capacity
-
India’s pursuit of UAVs fuels domestic innovation and industrial growth
In response to escalating border tensions and the need for enhanced surveillance capabilities, the Indian Army is ramping up its drone acquisitions, reflecting the growing importance of unmanned systems in modern defence strategies.
-
Australia to adopt new predatory OWL species
The Australian Defence Force will introduce the One-Way Loitering (OWL) platform by Innovaero, the country’s first long-range loitering munition, to enhance strike capabilities and understanding of loitering munitions.
-
Dedrone’s latest uncrewed solutions offers “complete CUAS DTI-M kill chain”
DedroneOnTheMove, which integrates advanced sensor-fusion and mitigation technologies, was showcased at Eurosatory 2024 and has been designed for deployment to enhance airspace security in high-risk environments.