FAA to test Brit drone-busting kit

Jamming tech will 'detect, track, disrupt and defeat' flying menaces

The US's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will trial the "world's first fully integrated detect-track-disrupt-defeat Anti-UAV Defence System (AUDS)", developed by a trio of British companies.

Blighter Surveillance Systems, Chess Dynamics and Enterprise Control Systems describe AUDS as intended "for countering drones or remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) in remote border areas, at key infrastructure sites such as airports, air fields, nuclear power stations, oil refineries or for protecting political or sporting events in urban areas. It can be operated from fixed locations and from mobile platforms."

AUDS: Lock up your drones. Pic: Blighter Surveillance Systems

Blighter's press release explains: "The AUDS counter-UAV system can detect a drone six miles (10km) away using electronic scanning radar, track it using precision infrared and daylight cameras and specialist video tracking software before disrupting the flight using an inhibitor to block the radio signals that control it. This detect, track, disrupt, defeat process is very quick and typically takes 8-15 secs."

AUDS will be tested at various airport locations in the US. AUDS team member Mark Radford assured the drone-busting kit would not pose a threat to innocent equipment. He said: "AUDS is able to operate effectively in complex airport environments night and day whatever the weather and without disrupting other airport equipment. Using AUDS, the operator can effectively take control of a drone and force a safe landing inside or outside the airport perimeter." ®