Currently, drones are one of the central axes in military technology. The problem is that they are complex white to detect them. And this is due to several factors. One of them is its small size, which generates a low radar firm. That must be added a reduced speed and a low -height flight. Finally, we have the problem of its design: compound materials that reduce a radar reflectivity.
There are currently several detection systems, each with a different technique. There are radio frequency systems (RF). Its range is 1 to 5 km away and detects communication between the drone and its controller. Therefore It does not work with preprogrammed drones (They do not emit signal in flight) and the distance depends on the power of the emission.
Another system is acoustic. Its detection range is lower, it does not reach kilometer away And what he does is identify the unique sound firm of the rotors. Logically, the ambient noise (wind, city) and distance affects him a lot.
The third system is optics/infrared. Depending on the size of the drone and the lens, its detection range can reach 3 km. And it works during the day, by visual and night detection, thanks to thermal images, but it depends largely on the weather conditions (fog, rain, smoke) and requires direct line of view.
Finally, we have the radar option, key for long distance detection: It can reach 10 km, although for larger drones the 30 km are reached. It is the best option for long -distance primary detection and with any meteorological condition.
The problem is that Traditional radars are optimized for large and fast airplanes. A small and slow drone can be filtered as “noise” or “clutter” (disorder) of the soil.
To try to expand the distance and increase the detection speed, the company L3HARRIS and SHIELD AI, has developed the HIVERMIND. This system is not just a sensor, it is a combat architecture with AI. Its advantage does not necessarily lie in a new superpoderous sensor, but how it fuses the data of multiple existing sensors (Probably state -of -the -art radars, EO/IR and RF) and use AI to identify weak patterns. The AI can find the “signature” of a drone in the background noise that a human operator or a traditional algorithm would rule out, extending the effective detection range of the same sensor.
The other advantage is that it fuses different sensors. By combining the detection of a radar (which gives range and speed) with an optical sensor (which gives visual identification) kilometers away, the system can confirm a much faster threat already greater distance than if each sensor works separately.
In a statement, L3harris and Shield AI say that They detect “major distances” the presence of drones, but without giving an exact distance. Taking into account the technology implemented, it is very likely that they refer to that their AI system, using a high -end sensor suite, is capable of positively identifying a hostile drone at distances of 15, 20 km or more, consistently exceeding the upper limit of what a conventional system not integrated or without ia can achieve.
Of course, it is essential to understand that There is no unique universal “distance” for drone detectionbut a widely variable range that depends on the aforementioned factors.
The advance is not only in the sensor hardware, but in the brain of AI that interprets itallowing an “effective detection” at distances that were not possible for a threat of this type.