The CUAS sensor has been trialled on the UK RN’s XV Patrick Blackett. (Photo: Crown Copyright/UK RN)
The UK Royal Navy (RN) has purchased new CUAS sensors which were developed by the UK’s DASA and LiveLink Aerospace.
The procurement follows LiveLink receiving a contract in 2020 under the Countering Drones: Phase 2 competition, an effort run on behalf of the Home Office, which was followed by further work as part of a Royal Navy tender in 2022.
The consortium developed a low-cost, flexible and scalable sensor unit for tracking multiple UAS called Passive Detection & Ranging (PDAR) and following competitive field trials, the RN procured more than 10 CUAS systems for their frontline ships
The PDAR system uses conventional software defined radios, integrated circuits that can be reprogrammed and an innovative implementation of Convolutional Neural Networks technology to detect radio frequencies (RF) emitted by drones. The sensor unit itself is also silent and stealthy, as it does not emit RF emissions that could alert an adversary.
The latest purchase is for CUAS sensors which can be installed on ships, boats or fixed sites and trials have already taken place of the sensor on RN experimental ship, XV Patrick Blackett.
The US Air Force will transition away from its ageing A-10 aircraft in 2025, in favour of updating and enhancing its F-16, and introducing F-15EX and F-35 Lightning II jets in the region.
BAE Systems Air business has reaffirmed its commitment to the Typhoon programme as union representatives from the company urge the UK government to order 24 Typhoon jets.
The H145s have been named “Leichter Kampfhubschrauber” (light combat helicopter), or LKH for short, by the German Armed Forces.
By making “tough choices”, the US Air Force’s CCA programme has continued to move forward with Increment 2 on the horizon.
The drones will be used to cover radio coverage in Croatia in both stationary and mobile configurations, according to Croatia’s Minister of Defence, and will be equipped with an initial set of weapons.
MBDA’s next-generation cruise missile will be fitted to the UK’s F-35B fighter jets, allowing them to hit targets from land and Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, according to the UK Ministry of Defence MoD.
Connect with us on socials
