Unmanned/uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, have become a prominent threat to warfighters over the past decade—and they’re becoming increasingly dangerous with time.
UAVs are the main component of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), which also include an operator and communication system for synchronization. Although they can be flown manually, most UAVs are controlled remotely or autonomously by an onboard computer.
With continuous technological advancement, these flying devices have gotten much smaller and more difficult to detect. Today, we’re going to take a deeper look at micro-UAVs and detection methods for these tiny, unobtrusive drones.
What are Micro Air Vehicles (MAV)?
Micro-UAVs, otherwise known as micro air vehicles (MAVs) or nano-UAVs, are a type of unmanned aerial vehicle between two and 50 centimeters in length. They are typically flown at less than 125 meters high and speeds under 50 meters per second. Their small size, low flying altitude, and natural design make them highly inconspicuous, which is why they are commonly used for military surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
With the growing popularity of ultralight drones and their broadening range of potential applications, there will be a large emphasis on the production of micro-UAVs in the upcoming years. Researchers are currently in the process of developing bio-inspired MAVs that mimic birds, insects, and bats for monitoring purposes.
How are Micro Air Vehicles Used?
In the United States alone, there are over 863,000 UAVs registered to fly in the domestic airspace, and according to the Federal Aviation Administration, their numbers are increasing quickly. Across the globe, people are finding a multitude of commercial and recreational uses for drones, including:
- Aerial photography/video production
- Construction site mapping
- Weather monitoring
- Farmland surveying
- Disaster management
- Law enforcement
- Methane gas detection
Due to the beneficial societal contributions of micro-UAVs, the FAA and NASA have made a collaborative plan called the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management (UTM) Initiative. The purpose of the UTM plan is to safely integrate more MAVs into our low-altitude airspace for traffic monitoring without interfering with other air traffic.
Micro air vehicles are also a very useful tactical asset for the Department of Defense (DOD). These small crafts allow for the observation of hazardous and remote areas while keeping warfighters safe from on-ground threats. The U.S. military primarily uses micro-UVAs for surveillance purposes, such as identifying the position of roadside bombs, inspecting targets, detecting chemical and biological warfare agents, and increasing overall situational awareness.
Another use for micro-UAVs in the military is signals intelligence (SIGINT). Nano drones are incredibly useful tools to intercept and collect electronic signals from enemy phone calls and radio communications. For effective interception, the MAV is equipped with a modified cell phone that gathers and transmits data to receiving stations.
What Threats Do Micro-UAVs Pose?
While micro-UAVs have many positive applications, they do pose a significant risk to civilian and military targets.
As nano drones are inexpensive and widely procurable for hobbyists, almost anyone can get their hands on one these days. The systems are also very easy to modify, weaponize, and proliferate. Consequently, commercial micro-UAVs have been exploited by terrorist groups to place improvised explosive devices (IED), as well as chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives (CBRNE).
In a 2021 speech to the Middle East Institute, the Commander of the U.S. Central Command, Marine General Kenneth McKenzie Jr., stated that micro-UAVs are the biggest threat in the Middle East:
“The growing threat posed by these systems coupled with our lack of dependable, networked capabilities to counter them is the most concerning tactical development since the rise of the improvised explosive device in Iraq.”
Cheap, weaponized nano drones allow our adversaries to surveil and attack U.S. and partner facilities while maintaining plausible deniability. For that reason, the DOD expects that MAVs will be used increasingly for nefarious intentions in the future.
In order to proactively mitigate their threats, it is of paramount importance that we continue to develop effective methods for micro-UAV detection and tracking.
Aerial Threat Protection: Micro-UAVs and Detection Methods
While it is easy to detect and neutralize large unmanned aerial vehicles, micro-UAVs pose more of a challenge. Because of their size, MAVs have a small radar cross-section that produces a very low radar signature. That is the reason why the White House radar system did not detect the drone that crashed into a tree in the South Lawn on January 26, 2015.
Since then, we have learned that conventional radar techniques that have been deployed to identify aircraft often fail to detect micro-UAVs. Utilizing enhanced radar technology, electro-optical (EO) and infrared (IR) sensors, and additional techniques to improve detection capability, experts have developed new systems to neutralize non-compliant MAVs.
Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS):
The strong demand for micro-UAVs has resulted in the need for advanced C-UAS capabilities to protect airspaces, critical infrastructure, and personnel across the globe.
To provide optimal effectiveness, C-UAS requires multiple sensors for detection, tracking, classification, jamming, and soft-kill/hard-kill UAV neutralization. However, the primary component of an effective counter UAS suite is the radar sensor.
Micro-UAVs and Detection Methods Using RADA USA Radar Technology
Radars are the main sensor in threat defeat technology because they can provide accurate detection, tracking, and classification of all types of aerial threats in all-weather environments with 24/7 operational capability. The other payloads in a C-UAS suite rely on the radar to gather precise UAV detection, tracking, and identification information to successfully locate and eliminate the threat.
RADA USA’s family of combat-tested, tactical air defense radar systems includes five radars that can be deployed for SHORAD and C-UAS operational missions against micro-UAVs in the military: the aCHR/eCHR, MHR, ieMHR, and nMHR.
These five advanced radars are non-rotating, AESA, pulse-Doppler radars with micro-Doppler classification capability. Micro-doppler is a technique that enables the proper classification of drones in the presence of birds. With a common software-defined architecture, they can all be used for a range of applications in varying environmental conditions while stationary or on-the-move (OTM).
Let’s take a deeper look at the key features of each of these five radars.
Advanced/Enhanced Compact Hemispheric Radar (aCHR/eCHR)
The aCHR/eCHR are optimized for C-UAS and very short-range air defense (VSHORAD) missions. These radars can detect micro-UAV threats from three kilometers away and This document is proprietary and confidential. Page 5 medium UAVs from up to 10 kilometers away. Their compact size, weight, and low power consumption make them an ideal solution to protect mobile and OTM warfighters.
Multi-Mission Hemispheric Radar (MHR)
The MHR is a highly versatile radar platform that can support warfighters across a broad spectrum of operational missions, including C-UAS and SHORAD. It can provide full hemispheric protection of the maneuver force when used as a system of four overlapping radars. This radar has a slightly lower range than the eCHR, with the capability to detect nano-UAVs from five kilometers away and medium UAVs from 23 kilometers away. But, with its unprecedented affordability and flexibility, the MHR is a critical addition to your arsenal.
Improved and Enhanced Multi-Mission Hemispheric Radar (ieMHR)
The ieMHR three-dimensional (4D) radar offers many of the same benefits and operational uses of the MHR with C-UAS and SHORAD applications. It is larger than the MHR and provides a significantly improved detection range. With the ability to identify nano-UAV from 10 kilometers away and medium UAV from 44 kilometers away, the ieMHR has a larger range than the aCHR/eCHR and MHR.
Next-Gen Multi-Mission Hemispheric Radar (nMHR)
The nMHR is RADA’S next-generation advanced 4D radar. It has the same benefits of the MHR and ieMHR for C-UAS and SHORAD applications. It provides the added mission capability of Fire Control (FC) for cueing weapons with high accuracy such as high energy laser (HEL) systems and improved performance in the presence of multipath.
Additionally, the nMHR provides advanced ECCM capability that includes adaptive jammer nulling, autonomous interference detection and direction definition, and real-time frequency hopping. It can identify nano-UAV from 8 kilometers away and medium UAV from 36 kilometers away.
RADA USA radars have a successful history of being used by the United States military as the primary sensor for C-UAS, and they are currently being used to keep warfighters safe from sinister micro air vehicles. As technological advancements are made for micro-UAVs and detection methods, RADA USA is committed to enhancing our products to fulfill our mission of defeating all current and emerging threats.