Rohde & Schwarz Demo Counter-Drone Technologies in Australasia

Rohde & Schwarz (Australia) will be demonstrating its counter-drone capabilities to Australian customers over the next six months, the company announced on 12 November. Trials are planned for major customers at both federal and state government levels in Australia and New Zealand.

Early warning of drone activity is the key to countering threats and the Rohde & Schwarz ARDRONIS system can detect activity even before drones take off.

“Rohde & Schwarz is acutely aware of the dangers posed by unauthorized drone activity,” stated Gareth Evans, Managing Director of Rohde & Schwarz (Australia). “The disruption at Gatwick Airport in the UK has highlighted the emerging threat not only to lives, but also to economic activities and critical infrastructures […] We are not alone in this; the 2019 Five Country Ministerial communiqué about emerging threats has identified that, ‘the malicious, unlawful, or inadvertent misuse of drones and the data they collect can pose a risk to public safety, be deliberately used to facilitate or commit a wide range of criminal acts, and also present a threat to our national security.’ […] Australian and New Zealand customers will be offered the R&S ARDRONIS-D model of the automatic radio-controlled drone identification solution, which locates the drone operator and the drone.”

This R&S ARDRONIS package reports when a remote control has been switched on and classifies the device type. The sensor system captures the uplink, so it can track down drone pilots while their aerial devices are still on the ground.