DEMONSTRATIONS. Friday, November 18, 2016, on the air base of Villacoublay, south-west of Paris, a drone pilot takes off his machine. The craft rises into the air and away gently towards the back of the tarmac. “Now, imagine that it’s a drone paparazzi, says a voice in the speaker. in so We’ll cut the video link”. Not obvious to know which of the many devices deployed on the edge of the track or mounted on the truck and mailed to a few tens of metres away then comes into action, but the pilot left suddenly its screen eyes to continue piloting his machine to view. “Now, we are going to cut the transmission !” continues the voice of the speaker. A second later, the driver raises his remote control and activates ostensibly the joysticks in front of the audience of journalists. In the air, his machine does actually responds more to the injunctions. It floats for a moment before descending gradually down to the ground where it will land gently. “In fact, it all depends on the models of drones” we will explain later, Nicolas Vellas, general manager of the company MC2 Technology. “Some low-end machines are falling like stones when the transmission is cut off. Others progressively reduce the speed of their rotors to arise, while some trigger a procedure to automatically return to their starting point“.
In 2014, the drones suddenly appear as a potential threat
This demonstration quite convincing to many of the processes of detection, identification and neutralization of drones on civilians was organized by the general Secretariat of defence and national security (SGDSN) and the French National Research Agency (ANR). It was the opportunity to update you on the progress and the integration of “many of the technological building blocks” developed in a record time, following the incidents that occurred at the end of 2014. In fact, there are just two years, a wave of overflights wild over nuclear power plants, military bases or urban sites sensitive by drones had sown disorder in the hexagon. Small, fast, discreet, cheap and able to take in the air a small load (a few kilos), the drones are suddenly emerged as a potential threat. The more reason that their market is experiencing a real explosion. “there would be in France, a park of about 400,000 drones for recreation, sales Louis Gautier, secretary genera l of defense and national security. the And he sells each year about 100,000 in france“. These drones represent, by their democratization, a threat protean. In addition to the achievement that these cameras flying can provide privacy, they can also cause injury if adventure their driver loses the control over a populated area, or in the event of a collision with an airplane or a helicopter. Last incident date : November 14, 2016, an airliner in canada has had to make an avoidance manoeuvre in emergency to dodge, which strongly resembled a drone on a collision course with the device. In addition, if these machines can be transported with velocity a camera, they can potentially do the same with a small explosive charge or a biological agent-hazardous. The islamic State or Hezbollah have already used drones to civilians are handmade militarized.
To counter this type of threat, a call to project “flash” had been launched. After analysis of 24 applications, three solutions have shared funding of € 1.5 million. This is the project Boréades, Angelas and SPID. Their goal : to put in place in 12 to 18 months of technology demonstrators to operational able to secure sensitive areas vis-à-vis the drones in the air. These projects were completed at the end of October 2016, with a level of advancement sufficient to lead to the placing on the market of certain products. Here are a few, among those presented during this demonstration :
©Erwan Lecomte / Science and Future
Developed by MC2 technologies, in the framework of the project Boréades, this device is able to neutralize a drone to view (about 300 m). It may interfere with either the binding radio-controlled, the video stream issued direct by the flying machine or its GPS signal. It weighs about ten kilos and its battery, carried on the back, it gives about 8 hours of battery life. It is marketed between 20,000 and 30,000 euros.
©Erwan Lecomte / Science and Future
This device also developed in the framework of the project Boréades consists of three clusters of optical camera that are filming in the spectrum visible to 360°. At the centre, an infrared camera can detect the heat generated by the motors and the battery of drones, while allowing the system to be operational at night. This station is the detection device in a short range (300 m). And its price is approximately € 300,000. Its performance and range can be increased by the addition of a radar, a turret, referred to, or a device “neutralizing electromagnetic”.
- device spoofing GPS
©Erwan Lecomte / Science and Future
To disorient a drone, you have three options. It is possible to scramble the transmission between the machine and the remote, attempt to the hacker to take control or, finally, to the deceiving of its actual position by sending false GPS coordinates (which can then take him where you want by “dragging” artificially the GPS card in the machine). It is this last solution that has developed the company Spectracom, a partner in the project Boréades. “It works very well in the laboratory” we have explained its designers. But it is forbidden for the moment of testing (much less deploying) the technology on the ground. In fact, if this device is effective to lure a drone on its position, what effect can it have on a plane that would have the misfortune to cut him also the path of the beam ?… The development of this technology is thus closely linked to the evolution of regulatory constraints.
©Erwan Lecomte / Science and Future
Five directional microphones oriented according to the three dimensions make it possible, after processing of the signal, not only a detection acoustic drones, but also an identification of the type of machinery and its phase of flight (takeoff, landing, hover,…) ensures Hervé Glottin, a researcher at the University of Toulon and developer of this device in the framework of the project SPID. Of course, the system sees its performance degrade in a noisy environment or too windy, but this deficiency can be offset by putting in place several devices of this type.
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