In an age where a hobby drone that costs $500 can be converted into a reconnaissance device over nuclear plants, the current German response to the problem is aimed with laser-like accuracy at the pressing aerial security issue that it addresses. The German response involves the creation of an autonomous robot that captures drones rather than shoot them down.
Designed by engineers at Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg in collaboration with “Research for Civil Security,” a program within the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, this technological tool has emerged in reaction to the fast proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicles within sensitive airspace. Airports, sports stadiums, prison complexes, and military bases have all come under incursion attacks, while security organizations have warned about growing uses of drones for espionage and probing intent on taking advantage of defenses.
The project started in 2017 within the MIDRAS initiative, with initial prototypes showing proof of concept capabilities during a live demo with security officials in 2020. Based on these findings, the group went ahead with the flagship project IDAS (Innovative Drone Defence System), improving the initial prototype into a fully functional Interceptor. After consulting with the police, who are the actual users, we decided to have only one larger drone instead of multiple drones working in concert with each other, explained Julian Rothe, PhD, research assistant at the computer science department of the university. This satisfies real-world needs much better.
The process of operation for the interceptor is fully autonomous. Upon detection of potential danger by perimeter monitoring systems, officials merely have to press the start button. Thereafter, the entire process of detection, tracking, verification, chasing, and capturing of the target is done autonomously by the robot without human control. LiDAR technology is utilized for initial detection, and in addition to that, an optical camera uses AI technology for detection of the target as a drone and not as a bird or anything harmless.
When the system closes in around the intruder, it unfurls an extended net mid-flight, ensnaring the UAV without much damage to it. The recovered UAV is subsequently carried off to a predetermined landing zone that is presumably safe. The key factor that played an important role in our project was to ensure that the incoming UAV is intercepted safely and in an undamaged state wherever possible, Rothe explained.
The overall anti-drone policy of Germany is also expanding. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has recently announced that a new anti-drone squad is to be established at the national special operations division of the federal police. The squad is set to consist of 130 personnel who have been trained and qualified in the detection and neutralization of drones. A total of more than 100 million euros is also dedicated towards anti-drone technology development over the coming two years. The purchase includes services from local vendors as well as Israeli companies. According to Interior Minister Dobrindt, “We are creating a clear mission to detect, intercept and, yes, also shoot down drones when necessary.”
Globally, there are various technologies in use against drone attacks, ranging from radio-frequency jamming, kinetic interceptors, to cyber hijack systems such as EnforceAir, enabling the takeover of the controls of enemy UAVs, leading to a safe landing. However, all these methods involve various flaws, such as jamming, which might interfere with other vital communications, as well as generation of debris following interception. The net-based interceptor by Germany overcomes these issues. Moreover, the European Drone Strategy 2.0 puts emphasis on having a balanced approach towards the factors of safety, security, privacy, and the environment.
Integration of autonomous platforms, including IDAS, with manned and unmanned traffic management, specifically U-space, would become imperative in the future. This has already been taken up by the Joint Research Centre through its living lab in Geel. “For military and aerospace engineers working in the field of defense technology, the autonomous interceptor developed by the Germans can be considered an important step forward in creating operational, risk-free anti-drone systems, which can eliminate aerial threats without creating additional dangers on the ground.”