AST Digital Magazine April 2017 April 2017 | Page 9

Volume 11
April 2017 Edition
Each of these has advantages, but they also
have flaws that make it difficult to detect drones
in all conditions.
Both optical and thermal cameras, as well as
acoustic sensors, will not operate under severe
weather conditions. And while radio and radar
can cover a wide area of detection, they suffer
from high installation costs and technical chal-
lenges.
Compact Surveillance Radar (CSR) is a new
technology developed to address some of these
gaps in detection.
CSR, like traditional radar, has the benefit of be-
ing able to detect and track foreign objects in all
weather conditions, but at a fraction of the size
and cost.
Current regulations make it difficult to stop the damage that
drones can cause.
The FAA has put into place new regulations that
limit some uses of drones.
(A2000 Radar detects a DJI quadcopter at 863 meters com-
pared to 167 meters using a HD camera directed at the path
of the drone. Courtesy of SpotterRF and YouTube)
The compact size allows the radar to be mount-
ed on existing structures or even trees, providing
extensive perimeter defense almost anywhere
that you can imagine.
Thanks to new algorithms, the CSR can also fil-
ter out clutter such as birds, reducing the number
of false alarms.
Current regulations make it difficult to stop the
damage that drones can cause
Even with the best technology available, detec-
tion is only the start of the battle against drones.
But it is still illegal in most cases for even state or
local governments to stop or interfere with drones
other than to locate the operator and have them
land the drone.
Unfortunately, by the time the operator can be lo-
cated, often the damage has already been done.
Not to mention that this solution requires round-
the-clock human surveillance, adding hundreds
of thousands of dollars to operating costs of pub-
lic utilities and other infrastructure points.
One of the most effective counter measures for
drones is jamming or GPS spoofing, which unfor-
tunately are strictly off-limits to the private sector,
which includes stadiums, convention centers,
and other large gathering areas.
Of course, there are reasons not to allow every-
one to jam signals at will, but more powerful ac-
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