The world of aviation is changing, and fast. The inevitable surge of the use of Unmanned Arial Systems (UAS) or ‘drones’ has led to a more crowded and complex lower airspace. This evolution in our skies can have a significant impact on airport operations and aviation safety. As past incidents have already demonstrated, the slightest collision or risk of collision with a drone –whether collaborative or non-collaborative (drones flying without transmitting any information making them virtually undetectable)– can put many passengers and crew lives at risk, not to mention the considerable costs incurred by hours of runway closures and hundreds of delayed and cancelled flights.
Yet the radar technologies currently deployed in most airports around the world were not designed to deal with UAS, such as micro (2kg) and mini (2-20kg) ones. These drones feature a very small Radar Cross Section (RCS), and can fly at low altitudes, very low or very high speed, and unpredictable patterns, thus making them especially difficult to detect. There is no silver bullet nor one equipment solution, especially as the threat from non-collaborative drones continues to increase.
The right combination for airport needs lies in the ability to design a bespoke solution that can efficiently and effectively detect, track, classify and identify any UAS – collaborative or not!
EagleShield - CUAS for Airports – Because you always need to know what’s coming
Because no one sensor can go it alone against collaborative and non-collaborative drones, EagleShield - CUAS for Airports has been designed as a multi-layered, multi-sensor solution. It typically comprises a Gamekeeper holographic radar, long-range electro-optic (EO) sensors, Radio Frequency Direction Finders (RF) and remote ID sensors where applicable.
The Gamekeeper, which features a 7.5km detection range and a 90° horizontal coverage, and the long-range EO sensors are crucial to detect non-collaborative drones. The innovative holographic technology of the GameKeeper allows detection, tracking and classification of unlimited targets simultaneously, including micro and mini drones.
The two other types of sensors, RF and remote ID, provide additional available information on the detected drones. The RF sensor detects the transmission between the pilot and their drone, whereas remote ID sensors pick-up a drone’s wi-fi broadcast transmission, containing important information about the drone and the pilot. These two sensors are suited for the detection of collaborative drones – that is, drones that have not disabled their transmitting devices.
All sensors function 24/7 gathering information that is continuously transmitted with a state-of-the art Thales cyber security protection to a dedicated C2 centre merging the data and displaying threats for the operator manning the system.
Having a multi-layered drone detection system provides two key advantages:
- Increased detection thanks to the fusion of multiple sensors, reducing the risk of false alarms.
- Sensor-agnostic, modular and scalable to accommodate our customer requests (all sizes of airports, phased approaches and use of preferred equipment makers) which offers a high level of flexibility
Did you know?
- In 2022, the global aircraft fleet numbered 25,000 units, and current projections show this number going up to 38,000 in 2032
- The estimated global Unmanned Arial Systems (UAS) fleet for 2023 was 7.5 million units and by 2032 this number is likely to increase to more than 12 million
- In December 2018 a drone disruption at a major airport in Europe caused the closure of the airport for more than 33 hours, at a cost of more than 50m£ to the airport and airlines