Airborne C-UAS Detection System

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) intrusions at U.S. ballistic missile bases have become a significant concern, with 350 detections of drone incursions over 100 different military installations in 2024. The need for counter-UAS capabilities at Global Strike Command’s ICBM silos, specifically for the 90th Missile Security Operations Squadron (MSOS) at F.E. Warren AFB, is critical due to the rapidly growing threat posed by nefariously operated UAS. The vast area coverage required for monitoring missile silos presents challenges in promptly detecting and responding to unauthorized drone activities. Additionally, the existing drones used by the 90th MSOS have limitations, including sensitivity to weather conditions, low endurance, and limited payload capacity, hindering their effectiveness in providing comprehensive surveillance and security. This proposal focuses on the integration of: a RF Geolocation payload, mission computer, near real time generation of 3D maps to provide situational awareness, secure 5G cellular connectivity to share this information with the Base Defense Operations Center (BDOC), and software to tie all of these systems together.  The unique advantage of this proposed solution is that airborne detection sensors, provides significantly improved coverage to detect and track unauthorized drones at much larger distances than ground-based sensors.