Drones – The Problem
The conflict in Ukraine has given the world a glimpse into the future of land warfare. Drones (UAS) have arguably been the most effective and controversial piece of equipment used. Born out of necessity, cheap, shop bought drones have been modified to provide a lethal and effective weapon, surveillance and propaganda tool. This strategy was viewed as somewhat of a gimmick at first until we started to see multi million dollar armoured vehicles and even helicopters reduced to ashes thanks to a $500 drone.
Drones are readily available and incredibly cheap. They can be modified with ease. Some of the modifications required to weaponize the system are commercially available after market products put to a different use. A device designed to hold beer cans for delivery can also hold grenades. A baiting tool for fishing can be utilised below the drone in the same manner. At the most basic level the drone itself can carry an explosive which will detonate upon impact or at the push of a button. These drones have impressive ranges – The DJI Air 3 ($1300) boasts a 20km range at which it can broadcast clear video back to the operator. Drones will fly at impressive speed, an average consumer model can fly up to 70mph while racing variants can reach 150mph. Not only are they fast but they are highly manoeuvrable when controlled by a skilled operator.
If soldiers feared a sniper with an effective range of 1.5km, you can only imagine the psychological impact a weaponized drone has. Not only are the drones proving dangerous to infantry, they have also proved to be effective against armoured vehicles. The operators seek out points of weakness or simply fly the drones into any opening available. This has led vehicle crews to make modifications in the field such as fixing netting or even wooden structures around the outer shell to prevent direct drone hits. These have proven effective against single drone attacks but not against multiples.
Counter UAV options
Detection
The first stage of countering a threat is acknowledging its presence. There are various systems available to aid the detection of UAVs within a specified area. The time between the initial detection and the deployment of a counter measure is vital. A drone launched 1km away could be overhead in 32 seconds…
Detection is not a perfect science. Environmental interference and equipment failure must be accounted for. Things become even harder when there are both friendly and enemy UAVs present.
Electronic Jamming/disablement/Hijack
Following detection, the fastest method of counteracting a rogue UAV would be a computer initiated electronic counter measure. Failing this, a counter method initiated or manually operated by a person would be the next best option.If these measures are successful, they can work quickly and efficiently. There are, however, downsides to these methods. A jammer powerful enough to block inputs/outputs to or from a UAV can also jam other signals in the area. In a busy urban area, there may be hospitals, airports, or other locations in which signal jams might have an extremely detrimental effect. There may also be a risk of interfering with friendly equipment. For this reason, high level permissions are often required to consent to the deployment.
Devices can be employed to electronically disable or even hijack and take control of rogue UAVs. These methods are very well adapted to dealing with unmodified UAVs. However, there is always the possibility that someone could modify existing software to get around these methods. Take the computer virus industry, for instance. Companies spend millions of dollars attempting to secure computer systems, but a kid with a computer and a lot of spare time could work to find a new vulnerability. The4 same thing is happening in the weaponized drone world. As fast as systems are designed a solution to work around them is adopted.
Kinetic
A UAV can, of course, be countered if it is physically damaged or captured. There are a variety of ways one could do this. The most commonly suggested method is to simply “shoot it down”. This is a little more complex than people may think. First and foremost, it is incredibly difficult to hit rapidly moving targets in the air with a standard rifle or pistol round. There are sights available which enable a fairly unskilled marksman to put “lead” on a moving target. Sounds great but they do not account for wind which is a huge factor. They also struggle to predict lead for objects able to travel rapidly in multiple directions – akin to trying to predict the flight path of a fly…
There are of course large kinetic solutions available which can be costly, heavy and sometimes dependant on vast energy outputs such as laser. These may make great choices for static positions and large vehicles but are not viable for most infantry units. The cost per firing must also be considered. If it costs you $10000 to take down a $500 drone then the enemy are still winning the war. After all, many wars are won or lost based on assets and the funds needed to procure them. This is clearly outlined in the current Ukraine situation. Without assistance it would be a Russian victory purely based upon finance and materials.
For these reasons shotguns are rapidly becoming the favoured method of soldier portable, kinetic CUAS. They are cheap, portable and have a much better chance of hitting rapidly moving, small aerial targets.
Ammunition Selection
Light 12g sporting loads are ineffective against drones (such as skeet or trap loads). This is because the drone moves when hit therefore robbing the shot of terminal energy - The energy moves the drone in the air rather than penetrating the body.Heavier 12g loads such as #2 bird or 3 and 4 Buck work well in terms of penetration/damage. You get less shot in the pattern which greatly reduces your chances of making a hit. That is why sports shooters favour smaller shot - bigger, more consistent pattern.
Hitting drones is hard
Clay targets travel at approximately 40mph, the same speed as many small drones. Pro Sporting shooters hit clays with sporting loads out to around 80yds with reasonable success. They use guns with barrels typically 30" long. They practice many hours per month. You cannot hit fast moving targets with a shotgun by aiming it like a rifle. They are very different techniques.
Max distance
No matter what shotgun or 12g load you choose your max range will be around 80yds (a really tough shot to make). It all seems like fun in practice until you are on a 2 way range where the "clays" are dropping ordanance. A short barrelled combat shotgun makes things even tougher but likely gives more shots in the mag. Training and practice are absolutely vital. If you can hit clays you can hit drones.
There are no magic 12g loads
I have seen a host of companies offering "ground breaking" 12g CUAS rounds. It's a 12g shotgun, physics are a thing... Talk to someone in a company who is honest, open and experienced in the subject. Too many people jumping on the CUAS bandwagon with a pocket full of snake oil.
Only a part of your CUAS armoury - Kinetic CUAS should be a last chance solution. Do not rely on it as skill and a little luck maybe required. Utilise a layered CUAS strategy. The combined layers will be the best way to prevent drone incursion. An early warning system, jamming, drone v drone, control acquisition should all be utilized along with anything else you have.
Watch the kintetic CUAS demos and videos. Most engage a slow moving drone at about 20-30m.. They do so because engaging at 45mph/80m is one hell of a good shot. Can it be done? Yes, but one would question the training and time involved for that to become reality for Military.
Comments