Airbus DS Electronics and Border Security (EBS) and Dedrone are joining forces to counter the threat posed by small drones. The partners intend to jointly offer counter-UAV systems that allow unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) invading critical airspace to be detected reliably so that electronic countermeasures can be initiated at an early stage.

The Counter-UAV System to be jointly offered by the companies will have a modular design and will offer the capability to combine various sensors – cameras, radar systems, microphones, direction finders – with ranges of up to 10km. The data provided by these sensors will be combined by means of the latest data fusion and signal analysis technologies.

On the basis of an extensive database of UAV patterns and signatures as well as real-time analysis of control signals, a jammer then interrupts the link between drone and pilot or disrupts its navigation. As a rule, the drone then flies back to its starting point or lands at its current location. Furthermore, the direction finder tracks the position of the pilot in order to arrest him subsequently.

Thanks to the Smart Responsive Jamming Technology developed by Airbus DS EBS, the jamming signals only block the frequencies used to operate the drone while other frequencies in the vicinity remain operational. The Counter-UAV System has been tested extensively at Airbus Defence and Space’s own facility and during customer presentations in Germany and France.

Depending on the configuration required, an operational system will be available as from the end of 2016.

EBS is currently a 100% subsidiary of Airbus Defence and Space. Investment company KKR is due to acquire 74.9% of EBS shares in the first quarter of 2017. Thereafter, the company will adopt the brand name “Hensoldt”, a German pioneer of sensor technology. Dedrone is a San Francisco-based specialist in technologies for detecting small civil drones.