by Julian Nettlefold,
Penetrating The 30mm Shield
It has been recognised in Ukraine that once the drone swarms penetrate the forward 30mm C-UAS shield, there needs to be a second line of defence to protect convoys, military installations and critical infrastructure.
Ukraine added a .50 calibre C-UAS requirement to its wish list in 2023. At AUSA this year, .50 cal and below with associated smaller radar and fire control systems for C-UAS systems were central to C-UAS discussions.
The nirvana for a highly capable .50 calibre C-UAS systems would be the development of a fragmentation round which would give the user the ‘wall of lead’ required to defeat the swarms. The limitation of the size of the round makes the incorporation of any fuzing system particularly difficult.
BATTLESPACE understands that a number of ammunition companies are looking at a solution. Dstl .50 Calibre C-UAS System Dstl showed, at the July 12th Regiment Royal Artillery GBAD demonstration at Thorney Island, a .50 Calibre C-UAS System, developed from exiting components, mounted on an Enforcer OWS taken from a mothballed Panther vehicle. There are currently 300 Enforcer OWS which can be reworked into this C-UAS systems for customers such as Ukraine. The systems is enhanced by Vision Flex 24hour EO/IR thermal optics system from OpenWorks Engineering and four Echodyne EchoShield radars.
EchoShield Radar for CounterDrone Detection
EchoShield is Echodyne’s most advanced and accurate radar, providing the ability to track hundreds of objects simultaneously with an industry-leading <0.5° angular accuracy in both azimuth and elevation. The low-SWaP pulse-Doppler radar delivers high-speed data that can be used to cue optical sensors, effectors and other systems with the utmost in precision and effectiveness.
The software-defined EchoShield radar can be easily configured with a variety of Mission Sets, optimized for specific use cases:
l Counter-UAS – optimized for shorter ranges and lower elevations where drone threats are most likely to be found and effectors are most successful
l Dismount – for enhanced ground perimeter surveillance, capable of >8 km range on human movement and >11 km on vehicles
l C-UAS 2 – precision airspace surveillance for larger UAVs at ranges of up to 11km
l Coastal – enhanced surveillance of coastline perimeters
l Airspace Management – precise UAS navigational guidance
l On-the-Move (OTM) – for moving counter-drone sensor platforms
