Technology group Rohde & Schwarz has upped the ante in countering the threat of commercial drones to civil and military aviation with its Ardronis Wi-Fi system that doesn't just knock out drones, but infiltrates them and steals their data.
From their use in the Ukraine conflict and elsewhere, it's easy to think of drones as being a military problem, but the FAA reports that in the US alone there are over 100 reports every month of sightings of drones in potentially dangerous areas. Whether the reason they're there is out of ignorance, mischievousness, or malice, these sightings have to be taken very seriously because even a drone the size of a small bird can have catastrophic results if it's sucked into a jet engine or collides with a helicopter rotor.
Countering these drones has become big business, with most systems focusing on capturing or destroying drones by means of shotguns, microwaves, lasers, nets, and even falcons. Either that, or they take the approach of jamming the control and navigation signals that the drones depend on.
The Ardronis Wi-Fi system takes a novel tack by not destroying or jamming the drone, but by getting inside its electronics and exploiting them. A large number of commercially available drones rely on wireless LAN signals for control and navigation. Ardronis monitors these transmissions, which allows it to automatically detect drones in the vicinity and get an approximate fix on their direction, even if they haven't taken off yet.
That would be cool enough as an early warning function, but the system can also intercept the video transmission from the drone, depending on the model, and feed it to the Ardronis operator – effectively tapping into the Command and Control of the drone. To make things worse for the intruder, the system can decode the drone's Remote ID and read off detailed readouts on its location, speed, and altitude, among other interesting tidbits.
Aside from some intense eavesdropping, the system can also cut the connection between the drone and its controller. This isn't like other systems that just blanket disable all drones in a sector. According to the company, Ardronis can take out individual drones while leaving others alone.
"Ardronis Wi-Fi is a game-changer in the field of drone detection and mitigation," said Anne Stephan, Vice President Monitoring & Analytics, Rohde & Schwarz. "This system offers a robust and intuitive solution for the detection, localization, and neutralization of Wi-Fi-controlled drones, thanks to its cutting-edge features and user-centric design, making it a vital asset for organizations focused on security and surveillance."
Source: Rohde & Schwarz