LAD & C-UAS

Hyderabad-based Zen Technologies has delivered two units of its counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) to the Indian Air Force (IAF), Abdul Imran, subject matter expert on anti-drone systems at Zen Technologies told Janes at East Tech 2022, held in Kolkata by the Indian Army's Eastern Command on 7 and 8 July.

The IAF has placed an order for 25 units of Zen's C-UAS, Imran said, adding that the rest of the 23 units will be delivered by October 2022.

Zen Technologies secured a INR1.55 billion (USD19.5 million) order from the IAF for its C-UAS – named Zen anti-drone system (ZADS) – in September 2021.

The ZADS units, which are being delivered to the IAF, have a 5 km range for detection, a 4 km range for jamming, and are capable of operating at a maximum altitude of 5,000 m, Imran said.

Polish manufacturer Zakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów has tested its anti-drone system built on the RADA multifunction radar and the Browning-type 12.7mm machine gun.

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Sydney-headquartered DroneShield and the Australian Missile Corporation (AMC) announced on 21 July an agreement to co-operate on capabilities to support Australia's Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) enterprise programme.

DroneShield's CEO Oleg Vornik told Janes that the scope of collaboration will be focused on counter-drone technologies and electronic warfare systems. He said, “The collaboration is effective as of now.”

A press release by the two companies said they will explore “counter-drone security prevalent in current battlefield as seen with the Ukraine war as well as electronic warfare and associated artificial intelligence work”.

They added that the partnership is aligned with the GWEO enterprise as the programme “enters the next phase”. AMC was selected by the Australian government in April as one of three local partners on the GWEO enterprise programme.

Aselsan's Şahin counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (C-UAV) system has entered the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces, İsmail Demir, head of Turkey's Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB), tweeted on 17 July.

The Şahin 40 mm ‘physical destruction system' was developed to destroy mini and micro UAVs, according to Demir, who said it is easy to deploy and install and can be used for missions such as protecting critical infrastructure, border security, and air defence.

An SSB video showed the turreted Şahin mounted on a trailer destroying rotary- and fixed-wing mini and micro UAVs with Atom 40 mm ammunition. The system can carry 64 Atom 40 mm high velocity rounds.

Şahin performs automatic target detection and tracking using electro-optical cameras on its stabilised turret. It can be connected to radar or command-and-control systems.

The remote-controlled Şahin has an effective range of 700 m against mini and micro UAVs, according to Aselsan.

Chennai-based Big Bang Boom Solutions will deliver its Anti-Drone Defence System (ADDS) to the Indian Air Force (IAF) from August, Gaurav Sharma, chief government relationship officer of the defence startup firm told Janes .

Speaking at the East Tech 2022 event in Kolkata on 8 July, Sharma said the company received a request for proposal (RFP) in June 2022 to provide an undisclosed number of ADDS units to the IAF.

The complete ADDS system is portable and can be operated by a single person. The system utilises radar detection, electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) tracking, and passive radio frequency (RF) scanning features to provide countermeasures against rogue unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Big Bang Boom Solutions said.

Marduk will focus development efforts on the gimbal and target detection and tracking capabilities of its Shark counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (C-UAV) system, company representatives told Janes .

Speaking at Eurosatory 2022 in Paris, Leet Rauno Lember, Marduk's chief operating officer, said that the company has recognised that the Shark system's gimbal provides a precise and fast target tracking capability, and that they will focus on developing the unit – with the potential to scale the system. They will also work to enhance its target acquisition, recognition, and tracking capabilities, which had proven to be effective in trials and on deployment, he added.

The current configuration features the Shark gimbal equipped with mid- and long-range electro-optical cameras, an infrared camera, and a laser rangefinder.

According to Lember, the system has demonstrated the ability to detect a DJI Mavic air vehicle at 2.7 km, and to track the same target at 4.5 km.

Lember said that Marduk has developed its software to filter the air picture, removing clutter that might otherwise provide a false track, such as birds.