Counter-UAS Technologies for Swarming UASs

The growing capability of unmanned aerial systems (UASs) has changed the face of the modern battlefield. Our enemies are beginning to exploit these new resources in ways that pose substantial threats not only to our deployed warfighters, but also to American citizens on our own soil. Because these threats are not well-addressed by our existing defense infrastructure, it is imperative that technologies be developed and fielded to proactively and preemptively close this capability gap. FIRST RFs proposed approach to meet these requirements is based on a multi-sensor, multi-platform, and multi-mode architecture that provides the greatest surveillance area and reliability for the lowest cost. We believe this architecture provides unparalleled adaptability, scalability, and dynamic reconfigurability by providing a suite of technologies that can be selected and deployed to provide a counter-UAS shield that is customized to its emplacement. During the proposed Phase I effort, FIRST RF will conduct an architecture study to evaluate the capabilities of each component sensor technology, and recommend an overall approach that jointly optimizes them in order to provide the best performance for the lowest cost. Leveraging the results of this study, preliminary hardware demonstrations are planned for the Phase I Option.