The Air Force recently deactivated an Islamic State drone with an electronic weapon. This is what Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said. The episode took place ten days ago, after the death of four non-US citizens caused by a drone equipped with an explosive warhead.
The Air Force - explained the Secretary - was informed about the presence in the area of these assets and immediately prepared electronic countermeasures. The details of the interception are not known, but it would have been one of the first operational uses for the DroneDefender, a sort of rifle that deactivates drones with radio waves. The DroneDefender designed by Battelle consists of an assault rifle equipped with a jammer or frequency jammer. Its useful range is 400 meters. Once the UAV threat is identified, it acts by interrupting radio contact between the drone and the remote operator. The DroneDefender system weighs seven pounds and is powered by a 4,5-pound battery, usually carried in a backpack. The Pentagon has purchased a first batch of 100 Drone Defenders distributed between the different bodies and the various government agencies.
The Improvised Air Threat
The US, Russia and China have the resources to build low-observability systems, but anyone can buy a small drone. Switchblade for example. Made by AeroVironment Inc., Switchblade weighs less than five kilos. Its electric propulsion makes it almost silent. Launched by a simple cylinder, it extends the wings and has a range of ten minutes. It is equipped with a color / infrared camera that allows the operator to identify a target remotely. Chosen and attached to the lens, Switchblade launches at 90 miles per hour with a head powerful enough to pulverize a truck of several tons.
The implementation of various systems for terrestrial combat units gives them an ability to decimate their opponents at a distance. Public opinion has been accustomed to recognizing the Reaper and believing they were the main perpetrators of the raids in crisis areas. Few people know, however, that only in Afghanistan in Operation Enduring Freedom, the US has deployed over four thousand Switchblades. The technology of drones has not long been the exclusive domain of the military. With just a few hundred euros, anyone can buy a stabilized drone equipped with an HD camera and GPS. The ready availability of this type of technology blurs the line between military and commercial electronics. The same technology, for example that used in mobile phones, is already implemented in drones. Finally, without considering that a commercial drone does not necessarily have to be equipped with an explosive warhead to create a potential disaster. It would be stupid, in fact, not to fear the possibility that someone could direct a small drone purchased a few minutes before at duty free, against a turbine of an airplane being taxied or taking off. The fact that it is such a "stupid" hypothesis does not mean that it is not feasible and potentially disastrous.
The implementation of explosives on low-cost devices, in some cases represents only one detail. The Improvised Air Threat need not necessarily be armed.
