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.
AeroVironment and a team from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have been contracted to provide the US Coast Guard ice breaker Polar Star with a RQ-20A Puma AE unmanned aircraft system.
The system will be supplied with a flight crew to take part in Operation Deep Freeze, the military component of the larger, civilian-managed US Antarctic programme to re-supply the National Science Foundation's McMurdo Station.
The Operation Deep Freeze joint team departed Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, on 30 December and reached McMurdo Station on 18 January.
During Operation Deep Freeze, AeroVironment personnel are employing Puma’s new Autonomous Recovery System to capture the UAS in a portable net on its return to the ship. Puma also can be recovered from the sea as a result of its waterproof design.
Kirk Flittie, vice president and general manager of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, AeroVironment, said: ‘Operation Deep Freeze is one of the US military's most complex peacetime missions due to the harsh Antarctic environment.
‘AeroVironment's Puma AE is delivering vital advanced scouting intelligence to help the coast guard's Polar Star conduct ice-breaking operations in the treacherous waters of the Ross Sea more safely and efficiently without putting pilots and costly helicopters at risk.’
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.