The United Kingdom has ordered six Drone Dome from Israel’s RAFAEL company under an Urgent Capability Requirement (UCR) program, providing quick reaction counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) capability. The first phase of the deal is worth US$20 million and will be delivered this year. The British Army is the launch customer for the Drone Dome system.
The UK interest is focused on engaging small drone targets (2-22kg) at distances 500 m or closer. To fulfill this Urgent capability requirement (UCR) the UK restricted the tender to mature systems (TRL8 or higher). The order came only eight months after RAFAEL demonstrated the Drone Dome’s capability to the UK government in January 2018.
Each system includes radars, electro-optical (EO) identification and signals intelligence systems and electronic jammers that disable the drone’s datalink or navigation systems. The systems will be used to protect from airborne drones some sensitive facilities and sites on which British armed forces are deployed.
A complete Drone Dome is compact and light enough to mount on an All Terrain Vehicle such as the Tomcar (known as Springer in service with the British Army).
RAFAEL’s Drone Dome integrates four RPS-42 pMHR S-band multimission 90° hemispheric radars from RADA, and provides early warning and target tracks at ranges of 5 to 3 km. The MEOS electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) surveillance sensor from Controp, and Netline’s NetSense Wideband RF detection sensors provide target identification. Target engagement by ‘soft kill’ is performed with electronic jamming, using the C-Guard RD jammer, system integration, command, and control. The system also uses a high power laser effector for ‘hard kill’, but, according to RAFAEL, such effectors were not included in the system destined to Great Britain.
