With the rapid development of drone technology, drones are increasingly being used in a variety of fields, including military, civilian, and commercial applications. However, the widespread use of drones also presents numerous security risks, such as illegal intrusions and terrorist attacks. This has made drone countermeasures a crucial topic in national defense and public safety. In recent years, drone countermeasures, as a crucial component of low-altitude defense equipment, have garnered significant attention for their effectiveness.
I. Drone Jamming Principles
1. Signal Jamming
Currently, most drones are controlled using radio communication technology. By transmitting a high-power jamming signal to a target drone and suppressing its control signal, the drone can be forced to land or return to its home position.
Once a drone's signal becomes corrupted, it typically has three options: landing, returning to the operator, or descending steadily. This rifle has an effective range of 500-2000 meters.
2. GPS Spoofing
Currently, most consumer drones rely on GPS navigation for flight control. However, civilian GPS signals are unencrypted, leaving room for exploitation.
The main principle of GPS spoofing is to send false geographic coordinates to a drone's control system, thereby manipulating the navigation system and tricking the drone into flying to the wrong location. GPS signals can be generated by a generator or pre-recorded and then replayed. Since the GPS signal received by a drone is always based on the strongest signal source, an artificial GPS signal from the ground, if strong enough, can overwhelm the real GPS signal transmitted from space, thereby deceiving the drone's GPS receiver module.
Currently, every country has established no-fly zones in key areas, and many drone manufacturers have set no-fly zones in their drones' built-in firmware. In no-fly zones, drones cannot take off, and even if they reach them, they will automatically land. Therefore, as long as an artificial GPS signal from the ground simulates the geographic location as the coordinates of a no-fly zone, a drone can force a forced landing.
3. Radio Hijacking
Currently, drone control signals mostly operate in conventional civilian frequency bands such as 1.2GHz, 2.4GHz, and 5.8GHz. With the rapid development of open-source hardware like Arduino and Rubber Pi, and the widespread adoption of SDR technology, ordinary enthusiasts can use hardware purchased online and software source code obtained from forums to simulate remote control signals and send them to drones, overriding the signals from real remote controls and thereby gaining control of the drone.
II. Overview of Drone Countermeasures
Drone countermeasures are primarily divided into two categories: drone detection and countermeasures. Detection and detection technologies primarily use radio, radar, and optoelectronic means to detect and identify drones; countermeasures encompass a variety of methods, including jamming and blocking, direct destruction, and monitoring and control. Drone countermeasures, representing a representative category of direct destruction countermeasures, fire specialized ammunition or energy beams to directly destroy or down incoming drones, offering rapid response and significant effectiveness.
Allen Control Systems' Bullfrog System
Recently, Allen Control Systems' (ACS) Bullfrog™ system garnered widespread attention for its performance in the U.S. Department of Defense's Technology Readiness Experiment-2024 (TREX 24-2). The system successfully demonstrated its ability to autonomously execute a complete kill chain of detection, tracking, identification, and defeat, becoming the only counter-drone solution selected. The Bullfrog system combines cutting-edge software, computer vision, and artificial intelligence with the service's universal M240 machine gun (7.62mm round), enabling it to accurately and reliably target and destroy drones in seconds. Its low cost, low power consumption, and high reliability make it an effective tool for countering low-flying, inexpensive drones.
Drones and Counter-Drones on the Russian-Ukrainian Battlefield
Drones have become a crucial tactical tool for both sides on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield. They are used not only for reconnaissance and strikes, but also for cargo transport and communications relay. However, the widespread use of drones has also prompted both sides to continuously strengthen their counter-drone capabilities. The Russian military has effectively disrupted and destroyed incoming drones by changing their operating frequencies, employing electronic warfare equipment, and using drone jammers. The Ukrainian military is also actively developing and improving counter-drone technology to counter the Russian drone threat.
UAV countermeasures have proven particularly effective on the battlefield. By rapidly and accurately destroying incoming drones, they have secured valuable battlefield initiative for both sides. Their effective application, particularly in critical areas such as supply transportation and communications relay, has ensured smooth communication and the supply of supplies between the front lines and the rear.
