Peregrine Airspace Protection System for Denying Small UAV Intrusion

Aerophysics, Raytheon Missile Systems, and Michigan Tech Research Institute (MTRI) have teamed to provide an innovative solution that will detect, track, and neutralize small UAVs. The system, termed Peregrine, is a RADAR-cued active/passive IR countermeasure based on the Quiet Eyes turret from Raytheon. Peregrine will use unique RADAR signal processing techniques to ID the Doppler return of small rotating propellers on UAVs despite weak traditional RADAR cross sections. Automated detection algorithms will be developed to surpress RADAR false alarms and identify targets for handoff to the electro-optic Quiet Eyes unit. The Quiet Eyes turret is a roll-nod gimbaled IR camera outfitted with a laser telescope sharing the beam line with the imager. The laser can be used to illuminate the target, provide range and geometry information via LIDAR, and jam/neutralize the sensors/airframe of a small UAV. The proposing team combines the capabilities of a university, a small innovative business, and a proven aerospace/defense manufacturing company. The blend of expertise will provide not only an effective system design but also the ability to transition the design into deployable hardware in a minimum amount of time.