Ukraine, Pentagon & Allies Pursue New .50-Cal Close-In Counter Drone Weapons

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.