What can a hunter drone do?
However, the flying vehicle is only part of the entire anti-drone system. It includes radars (FIELDctrl) that detect small objects in the sky and software (CyView C2) that manages this technology (it is also capable of controlling a group of integrated anti-drone sets deployed in different locations).
Maciej Klemm emphasizes that APS anti-drone systems can track many targets at the same time and, thanks to the use of machine learning algorithms, can classify detected objects and distinguish, for example, birds from drones. The systems report the position of objects in real time and, once recognized, allow them to be neutralized. These innovative airspace defense kits are produced in stationary and mobile versions. The company offers a wide range of configurations of these kits, from radio wave jammers to so-called small arms (they shoot down unwanted “guests”). The third and newest component is the aforementioned drone hunter. Klemm notes that – if the system is equipped with various drone neutralization tools and the proprietary CyView C2 software that integrates its operation – the APS solution is able to independently select the type of defense depending on the circumstances. The expert assures that this approach effectively eliminates all types of drones: from observation drones, through those carrying weapons and, finally, even small fuselages.
APS is increasingly gaining ground on the market. Its systems are even modernized by partners – companies both in Poland and abroad integrate them, for example, with rifles or rocket launchers, and even with so-called laser effectors.
– The hunter drone has supplemented the catalogue of neutralising tools that our systems are equipped with – adds Radosław Piesiewicz, the second founder of the Gdynia-based company. He emphasises that in this case, one of its main advantages is the cost-effectiveness ratio.
As he points out, the cost of a hunter drone is generally comparable to the cost of an enemy drone. This means that defending against an attack does not generate any higher costs than the attack itself. APS explains that its “battering ram” will also work in peacetime conditions (it does not contain a combat payload, so it is suitable for non-military applications), constituting an interesting alternative to “traditional” jammers. The disadvantage of the latter is that their use outside of battlefields involves the risk of interference with civilian electronics. APS expects its UAVs to be used, among others, at airports, to search for devices that can detect so-called invasive drones disturbing the airspace.
