Drone defences still lack reliable and affordable systems

Reliable and cost-effective systems for detecting and stopping dangerous drones are not yet available, Swiss expert Roland Siegwart told SRF after an explosive drone was found at Leipzig/Halle Airport.

“Attacks with drones are much easier to carry out than defending against them, especially in civilian environments,” said Siegwart, a professor of autonomous systems at ETH Zurich and head of its Autonomous Systems Lab. He also works with Armasuisse, the Swiss Federal Office for Defence Procurement.

Defenders cannot simply fire into the air because of the risk of collateral damage, Siegwart said. Unlike aircraft defence, where a single round costing around half a million can be used, drone defence requires smaller and cheaper systems.

Drones are difficult to detect because they are small, whether by radar or camera. Researchers are therefore combining radar, thermal imaging and conventional cameras. Once a drone has been located, possible countermeasures include bringing it down with nets, using other drones to deploy nets or, depending on the situation, shooting it down.

Research groups, start-ups and established companies around the world are working on these technologies. Siegwart said European security authorities were generally struggling with drone defence and that no complete solution could be expected within the next five months. Systems must be practical, affordable and reliable.

He said Switzerland was well positioned, particularly given its size. Armasuisse was more informed about drone technology and cooperation with universities than comparable organisations in Germany and Austria, he said. Switzerland is also strong in research into civilian drone applications, with several start-ups specialising in drone defence.