Persistent Airborne Counter Unmanned Aerial System Surveillance

OUSD (R&E) CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Integrated Sensing and Cyber OBJECTIVE: Develop and demonstrate an innovative airborne counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) concept that balances sensing performance and host unmanned airborne platform capabilities supporting persistent surveillance with overall system size, weight, power, and cost (SWAP-C). DESCRIPTION: The Navy seeks an airborne C-UAS system capable of providing persistent coverage around either Naval ships or forward operating bases (FOBs). Such an airborne system could provide extended coverage beyond that possible from fixed surface sensors and enable the host platform to pursue intruders in an effort to locate launch and recovery locations. Significant investments have been made by the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the development of ground/surface-based sensing systems. Group 2 and 3 UAS technology has matured significantly with long endurance systems widely available. Some of these systems are capable of being launched and recovered from small deck ships. Leveraging knowledge of these existing technologies, the Navy is seeking airborne C-UAS concepts that best balances sensing performance which includes detection and tracking performance against Group 1 through 3 intruders, means to mitigate false alarms, volume coverage and revisit rates with SWAP-C to provide persistence long-endurance coverage and the ability to pursue intruding UAS. Consideration should be given to common sensing systems including radar, radio frequency analyzers, acoustic and optical systems either alone or in combination on the host platform. The maximum sensor package SWaP allocation for group 3 UAS should not exceed 50 lbs, 750 watts and if pod mounted should be less than 12 in diameter and 60 inches long. PHASE I: Complete a comprehensive analysis and trade-off study of sensor modality and performance with UAS host platform capabilities and SWAP-C. The analysis and study should address the nature of the C-UAS threat for both FOBs and Naval ships (both in-port and underway), sensing system considerations and performance assessment, and integration approaches on candidate host UASs. The study should recommend a sensor and platform solution to be develop and demonstrated in Phase II. PHASE II: Develop and demonstrate a prototype of the recommended solution to achieve the capabilities analyzed in Phase I. The demonstration may be conducted on a surrogate platform with commercially available sensors if it can be shown that a feasible (in terms of cost, time and risk) path exists leading to a mature deployable system. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Work with UAS platform and sensor equipment manufacturers to fully integrate and mature the airborne C-UAS. The technology is suitable for a wide range of facility protection and airspace monitoring for civil applications. REFERENCES: 1. Department of Defense Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Congressional Research Service, April 17, 2023 2. Koebler, J. Report: Chinese drone swarms' designed to attack American aircraft carriers. U. S. News & World Report, March 14, 2013. KEYWORDS: Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems; Radar, Acoustic, Optical, Group 2 and 3 UAS; radio frequency analyzer