DHS Tested Counter-UAS Solutions During Summer 2023 Exercises

The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate evaluated counter-unmanned aerial system technologies during two live demonstrations held in the summer of 2023.

The first demonstration, held in July at Camp Grafton South in North Dakota, focused on drones that can be taken down using kinetic mitigation systems, which include lasers, projectiles, nets and electromagnetic or radio waves. During the exercise, S&T partnered with the University of North Dakota to study and minimize the collateral effects of kinetic C-UAS solutions.

The second demonstration, held in July and August at the Oklahoma State University Unmanned Aircraft Flight Station, allowed S&T to study non-kinetic solutions that can detect, track, identify and combat remote-controlled UAS swarms and drones that emit little to no radio frequency signals and noise. Six vendors participated in the second demo, where they showcased radars and other solutions, the DHS said.

Other government agencies have also engaged in experiments and exercises to find ways to deactivate adversarial drones.

Earlier in February, the U.S. Central Command concluded the weeklong “Sandtrap” hackathon, which allowed coders to develop prototypes that can improve C-UAS capabilities. In July, the automated scanning and target tracking company Pharovision and the UAS security company Sentrycs partnered for a three-month drone monitoring test for the Federal Aviation Administration, where they tested their solutions against hostile drones.