I was right about "fighter drones"

 

Last week I wrote about "Ground combat in an age of drone warfare".  In that article, I said:

I predict we'll see new drones designed to do nothing but hunt down the other side's drones.  Think World War I.  Initially, aircraft were used only for reconnaissance, finding out what the enemy was up to.  In due course, the first bombs were dropped, to disrupt what the enemy was doing.  To stop both activities, fighter aircraft were designed to stop enemy aircraft from doing their thing.  I think we'll see "fighter drones" coming down the pike, to do precisely the same thing in modern terms.  I'll be very surprised indeed if they're not already being developed, along with weapons to equip them for that task.

Turns out I was right.  Such drones already exist.  Two that have been available for some time are the DroneHunter Counter Unmanned Aerial System (C-UAS), a quad-rotor system, and the seemingly much more sophisticated Interceptor-MR from MARSS.  There are a number of others out there.  It's already a mature technology in terms of intercepting low-end drones, and is being rapidly built out to handle more difficult, more sophisticated targets.

MARSS has just released a smaller, lighter version of its Interceptor, which appears to be the most sophisticated interception vehicle at this time.  Flight Global reports:

Dubbed the Interceptor-SR (short range) and unveiled at the DSEI show in London, the lightweight design shares its larger sibling’s configuration and unarmed, hit-to-kill concept of operations.

Interceptor-SR (image courtesy of MARSS)

Multiple Interceptor-SRs can be integrated for launch from a ground vehicle, with their deployment conducted in combination with MARSS’ own NiDAR command and control suite.

Alternatively, the system can be deployed by a soldier using a shoulder launcher equipped with a thermal sight for targeting.

Following its launch, the interceptor uses a thermal sensor to autonomously track its target, before neutralising it by using the kinetic energy of an approach speed of 80m/s.

. . .

The company notes that as its designs do not use a warhead, so are also suitable for civil protection duties.

There's more at the link.

From another source:

The infantry rifle-style launcher for Interceptor SR is made from carbon fibre to keep it light at 3kg (6.6 pounds) and is fitted with what Scott said is a ‘proprietary optical system with NiDAR intelligence for target identification and it can receive target information from the battlefield network’.

Interceptor MR has a wingspan of 90cm (35.5") and a length of 80cm (31.5") while it can achieve an altitude of 6,500ft and a range of 5km (3.1 miles). It can carry a payload of <1kg (<2.2 pounds) and has a battery charge time of 20mins.

Interceptor SR has a wingspan of 40cm (15.75"), a length of 25cm (10") and weight of 1.5kg (3.3 pounds) while it can achieve an altitude of 1640ft, maximum speed of 216km/h (134mph) and a range of 1km (0.6 miles).

Again, more at the link.

So, even a basic infantry unit can now carry with it, on foot, drones for offense, defense and reconnaissance.  It can spy on (and put the hurt on) an enemy, while fending off the counter-hurt an enemy sends its way.  The direct-hit, kinetic-energy-kill, no-explosive-warhead approach is particularly useful, as it makes less of a visible and audible "signature" when it takes down a drone, making it more difficult to figure out where it came from.  It also has wider security implications.  It means such counter-drones can be deployed over urban areas (for example, to defend a politician making a speech from terrorists equipped with drones) without posing a grave risk to innocent lives.

Looking back on my days in ground combat, I suddenly feel like a technological dinosaur watching the SMOD approaching . . .

I wonder how long it will be before criminals deploy drones to aid them in their law-breaking, and those who want to defend their businesses, families and homes against crime will have to deploy counter-drones in response?

Peter