Jammer resistant drone designs spark search for countermeasures
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has driven another stage of evolution for drones and the counter measures to defend against them.
Cyberhawk Innovations has used a UAS to inspect two concrete pressurized water reactor containment domes for American Electric Power (AEP) at the Cook Nuclear Plant in Michigan, the company announced on 30 November.
Traditionally, such inspections involve a man basket with a 180ft crane, while Cyberhawk inspected both domes in a week, with minimal site disruption and significant cost savings.
The UAS inspection method involved capturing images of 100% of the dome surface to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) code standards, with the results digitised into a 3D point cloud that will allow direct digital comparison for any future inspections.
A detailed hazard and operability in the project work up allowed the AEP and Cyberhawk team to overcome various operational challenges, including working around other scheduled projects.
Chris Fleming, CEO at Cyberhawk, said: ‘It’s important to remember that while UAVs can collect a huge volume of data, a high-quality engineering report is what makes all the difference. This allows the client to easily assess the condition of the structure and plan any maintenance based on the data.
‘For AEP, the final reports provided 100% visual coverage of the dome with exact sizing of defects and a 3D model of the structure. This was delivered using our cloud based visual asset management system, iHawk, which we continue to develop as our capabilities and client base grows.’
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has driven another stage of evolution for drones and the counter measures to defend against them.
The new Amorphous software is a universal controller that would allow a single operator to control a swarm of “thousands” of uncrewed systems, from drones to underwater platforms.
India UAV supplier ideaForge has launched the Netra 5 and Switch V2 drones at Aero India 2025, boasting of enhanced endurance, AI-driven autonomy and improved operational capabilities.
The UAV market is experiencing unprecedented growth, with innovations in technology and battlefield applications driving demand across military sectors. From the battlefields of Ukraine to NATO exercises and beyond, drones are transforming how wars are fought and supported.
Launched at AUSA in October, the company’s multi-stream video codec is attempting to bring a new lease of life to drone technology through its AI accelerator.
Quantum-Systems has been upgrading its UAS family, with new versions of the Vector, Reliant and Twister drones set for release throughout 2025.