The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) has awarded Plextek-DTS (Defence Technology Solutions) two contracts to develop new defence capabilities against the malicious use of drones.
The awards have been made under the £2 million Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) competition.
Both projects will draw on Plextek’s research and experience in low size weight and power (SWaP) radio systems. The first will focus on the development of a new signal detection and jamming capability to detect and defeat hostile drones, while ensuring that non-hostile systems in the vicinity are not affected.
For the second project, Plextek-DTS will develop a miniature radar that can be integrated into airborne drones in order to detect, track and accurately target hostile drones.
Hostile activities
“Drones are increasingly being used to conduct hostile activities due to their relatively low cost, ease of deployment and lack of technologies to adequately counter them,” said Dr Aled Catherall, head of technology at Plextek-DTS.
“The threat posed is advancing rapidly and drones are being used effectively against military targets and to disrupt critical national infrastructure. New technologies to counter the drone threat is therefore required and the two projects awarded to Plextek-DTS will help to provide a significant step towards achieving an effective counter-drone capability.”
The competition was also supported by the Department for Transport and NATO.
Image: Crown Copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0
