Unmanned Systems Technology 020 | Alpha 800 I Additive Manufacturing focus I USVs insight I Pegasus GE70 I GuardBot I AUVSI Xponential 2018 show report I Solar Power focus I CUAV Expo Europe 2018 show report

Platform one Echodyne, uAvionix and Kongsberg Geospatial have jointly developed a low- cost tracking system for detecting UAVs that enter a monitored airspace (writes Nick Flaherty). The Argus CUAS (counter-UAS) system integrates Echodyne’s MESA radar with uAvionix’s cooperative aircraft tracking capabilities for display in the Kongsberg Geospatial Iris Situational Awareness application. This provides 3D, all-weather coverage and accurate positioning of airborne targets. The detection range will vary according to the radar cross-section of the target, from a 3 km range for a ground vehicle to 1 km for a medium-sized UAV. “We have tested the radar against pocket flyers – UAVs that you can literally hold in the palm of your hand,” said Jeff Finan of Echodyne. “The range of detection is below the 1 km mark, more like 300-500 m for that class of UAV, but the detection and track performance were remarkable given the small size.” The radar takes DC power at 12-28 V and consumes 40-45 W of power, and can be powered by AC from a transformer. There is no battery back-up in the radar unit itself, but that could be provided externally to the radar to provide power in case of AC power disruption. The radar is fully self-contained with a CPU, FPGA and memory to carry out all the signal processing required to provide detections and tracks. It is linked to a simple user interface developed by Kongsberg Geospatial that allows users to visualise, understand and track every target in the 3D airspace. Likely users include airports, prisons, police forces protecting public events, and emergency rescue organisations who need to keep the airspace clear around disaster scenes and wildfires. Radar sentinel for UAVs Airborne vehicles We have tested the radar against UAVs that you can literally hold in your hand