Drone Guard

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IAI Drone Guard Counter - UAS system comprises the ELM 3026 radar and electro-optical target recognition system, and an electronic jammer designed to disable the drone in flight., Photo: IAI

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Elta Systems’ Drone Guard is an integrated system comprising a low-level air defense radar and electronic jammer. One of the first C-UAV system developed in Israel ‘Drone Guard’ went through an extensive test series proving its effectiveness against a variety of different drones in different scenarios, including simultaneous multiple drone penetrations or attacks. In February 2017 the US Department of Defense ordered 21 Man Portable Aerial Defense System kits believed to be Drone Guard systems. The systems acquired under the contract worth $15.5 million will be delivered in July of that year.

Drone Guard comprises a specially adapted 3-Dimensional (3D) active electronic scanning (AESA) radar and Electro-Optical (EO) sensor for target detection and identification, as well as dedicated Electronic Attack (EA) jamming systems for disrupting drone flight. The radar can detect targets at ranges of 10-20 km.

To detect low-signature, low-level and low-speed airborne targets, ELTA has adapted to this specific mission its 3D radars, which include the ELM-2026D, ELM-2026B and ELM-2026BF for short (10km), medium (15km) and long (20 km) ranges, respectively, with special drone detection and tracking algorithms, as well as adapting them with EO sensors for visual identification of the target.

In order to disrupt the hostile UAV, ELTA has developed advanced adaptive jamming systems which can be used in concert with its detection and identification sensors, or as a continuously operated stand-alone system. The jamming disrupts the drone’s flight and can either cause it to return to its point-of-origin (‘Return Home’ function) or to shut down and make a crash landing.

For more information: Dominating The New High Ground – Counter-UAS Technologies