Anti-drone rifle shoots down UAVs with radio waves

This is an interesting development.

A company by the name of Battelle has developed a device that projects a focused beam of radio waves. It's purpose is to disrupt the control signal of drones and render them useless.

While the US military continues to develop new and awesome ways of blowing aerial drones to smithereens, not many of these systems can easily be adapted to use in the civilian realm. That's why Battelle has developed the DroneDefender, a shoulder-mounted rifle that knocks UAVs offline with a barrage of radio waves.

"It can help us in numerous settings, from the White House lawn to bases and embassies overseas; from prisons and schools to historic sites,"Alex Morrow, technical director on the project, said in a statement. "It easily and reliably neutralizes the threat." The weapon weighs roughly 10 pounds and can target drones up to 400 meters away. When the trigger is pulled, the gun emits a blast of electromagnetic energy tuned to the most common GPS and ISM frequencies, safely disabling the drone and preventing it from accepting any additional commands from its operator. This is especially helpful if the drone is equipped with an improvised explosive device.

engadget.com

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Oct. 13, 2015)—Aim. Engage. Stop. Battelle’s revolutionary DroneDefenderTM, is the first portable, accurate, rapid-to-use counter-weapon to stop suspicious or hostile drones in flight, providing critical security protection at home and abroad.

The Battelle DroneDefender uses radio control frequency disruption technologies to safely stop drones in the air, before they can pose a threat to military or civilian safety. The growing use and availability of commercially-available drones—also known as Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)—is raising concerns among defense, security and law enforcement leaders.

DroneDefender is an inexpensive, easy-to-use, lightweight, point-and-shoot system with a demonstrated range of 400 meters. DroneDefender provides instant threat mitigation, quickly disrupting the drone so that no remote action, including detonation can occur in sensitive areas. This minimizes drone damage and the risk to public safety.

battelle.org

I'm not up on how drones work. Do they normally just land and shut off when they lose their control signal?

originally posted by: N3k9Ni

I'm not up on how drones work. Do they normally just land and shut off when they lose their control signal?

Ask Iran

a reply to: VoidHawk

I would, but I don't like the thought of black vans in my driveway.

I see this being used by ISIL to shoot down Russian drones in 3. . . .2. ... . . 1

a reply to: FormOfTheLord

That crossed my mind, too. This could be a game changer in drone warfare.

originally posted by: VoidHawk

originally posted by: N3k9Ni

I'm not up on how drones work. Do they normally just land and shut off when they lose their control signal?

Ask Iran

Radio control has to be the absolute stupidest and most arrogant military maneuver in history. Which is exactly what Iran proved.

I predicted that taking over a radio controlled drone would be possible the first time I heard about them. My ex might be able to verify this. Wish I would have posted it on ATS, because it was prior to the Iran incident I believe.

"can target drones up to 400mtrs away" dont drones fly a little higher than that?

originally posted by: hiddenNZ
"can target drones up to 400mtrs away" dont drones fly a little higher than that?

I am guessing there will be better versions of this weapon, as well tools to augment it to high altitude no fly zones for drones.

I see a whole new way for thieves to steal our parcels being delivered by drone from amazon and other companies. Though in a being spied on scenario it would be handy to down a spy drone buzzing your house.

Just a quick search on google leads me to believe that the drone will go into dumb hover mode and drift aimlessly if both the GPS and control is lost.

If it still has GPS, it may hover in place, or attempt to return to home (RTH).

I remember reading about this a couple of weeks ago and one of these anti-drone weapons sends an RTH signal to the drone, sending it back to the remote controller. Thus identifying who is in control of the device, as well as dispatching it from the area of concern.

-dex