Chris Pocock has been covering the defense beat for AIN for over 30&nbsp;years. He is a British citizen and a graduate of the University of Cambridge. Chris worked in the air cargo business for ten years before becoming a full-time writer in 1983. He subsequently edited two air cargo journals before becoming AIN’s Defense Editor. He retired from that position in 2018, but still contributes to the publication. Chris has written extensively on aerial reconnaissance, including four books on the history of the U-2 spyplane. He also lectures on this and other topics related to intelligence-gathering in the Cold War.

Defense Correspondent

Chris Pocock

There have now been 89 incidents recorded in France of mini- or micro-UAVs being deliberately flown over sensitive areas. In 27 cases, legal action is being taken against those alleged to be responsible. So it’s not just an isolated problem, typified by the well-publicized flyovers of the Élysée Palace and French nuclear powerplants. This week at the Paris Air Show, the French company is highlighting its approach to countering these malicious flights with four scenarios, and a movie.

 


“There’s no single solution, and the methods must not be expensive. We must be smart and capitalize on existing sensors, communications networks and effectors,” said Jean-Michel Negret, the company’s project officer for small UAS and C4I. Thales realizes that the threat is posed by a very diverse set of micro-UAS that are available. But they share one characteristic–very low signatures, be it visual, thermal, acoustic or electromagnetic.

 


Furthermore, not all of the means available to counter this class of UAVs are usable. “Neutralization is tricky, especially in an urban environment, and because political decisions are needed,” noted Pierreck Lerey, strategy and marketing director for UAS and ISR.

 


Thales is part of a public-private partnership of seven French entities that are participating in an 18-month study, Project Angelas, on combating non-cooperative UAVs. Dominique Poulin, of the French aerospace laboratory ONERA, which is leading the project, said that potential end-users include the Gendarmerie Nationale and the Paris Police, as well as the armed forces.

 


Poulin said passive radar is a promising detection technology, especially to discriminate against false targets such as a flock of birds. Then, for identification, 3-D laser imaging might be used. Following this comes classification and neutralization.

 


Thales is also studying how its existing radar air defense radars such as the GroundMaster 200 might be adapted to the detection task by adjusting the software that previously rejected such small targets.

 


Lerey said that passive direction-finding could be used to find the “pilot” of the threatening mini-UAV–essentially by adapting GPS tracking techniques from the cellphone world.

 


Thales is developing a user-friendly C2 software for analysis named Clearland. There must always be an operator in the loop, he added. This is one of three work packages within Project Angelas that Thales is leading. The others are the used of electromagnetic sensors for neutralization. Poulin said that jamming had been proven recently, but using lasers to shoot down the errant UAVs might be unacceptable.

 


Jean-Philippe Hardange, working on strategy and operations at the Thales air defense radar site at Limours, agreed with Poulin that passive radar techniques are now mature enough to aid the task. The company took out its first patent on exploiting FM signals as long ago as 1995, and has since enjoyed funding by the EU and the French MoD to develop prototypes for civil and defense applications using digital TV signals. A new ground-surveillance radar developed at Limours, named Squire, would be a good candidate as a detection system, because it is low-cost.

 


As for neutralization, Hardange showed eight options, some of them more relevant to larger UAVs. They include conventional anti-aircraft guns, lasers, GPS jamming, directed energy and hijacking of the UAV’s command and control datalink. The platform for some of these effectors might be airborne–perhaps a “blue force” UAV defending the required area. Prediction of the debris field resulting from a UAV kill is just as important, especially in urban areas, he added.

 


“Essentially, we’re talking about the same functions and constraints as in the conventional air defense mission,” Hardange continued, “but we must now adapt and fill the gaps.”

News and issues relating to civil and military unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) of all kinds and sizes, including those used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), combat (unmanned combat air vehicles, or UCAVs), law enforcement, research and other applications. Of particular focus is the FAA's planned integration of UAS into the U.S. national airspace system.

Thales Displays Counter-UAV Work

French research project is concentrating on malicious flying of mini- and micro-UAVs against sensitive government, industry and military sites.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

Undisclosed logistics customer will operate 550-pound payload vehicle under an experimental license

Air’s Uncrewed Cargo eVTOL Conducts Night Flight Trials

Hanneke Weitering

News, issues, personnel, equipment and developments about air traffic management.

Researchers explore autonomous flight in IFR conditions

NASA and Wisk Team on Autonomous Air Traffic Integration

News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

U.S. company says it will accelerate development of the 1,400-pound payload vehicle 

Piasecki Acquires Kaman's Kargo UAV Program

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Helius is Ascent Aerosystems’ first sub-250g coaxial UAV

Robinson-owned Drone Maker Debuts ‘Helius’ Nano UAV

Unspecified fixed-wing UAS will feature SiCore battery cells

Amprius Inks $15 Million Battery Deal with Drone Maker

Air traffic control voice relay tests will evaluate sound quality and latency

FAA Contracts Aura to Test Uncrewed Aircraft Integration

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

Ascendance and Delair partner on hybrid UAV for French DGA 

Ascendance's Hybrid Propulsion System To Power French Drones

Sarah Rose

News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

2015 Paris Airshow

More In Unmanned Aerial Vehicles