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Badass outfitted M80 Stiletto swats drones like little bugs
A series of drone-detection trials were recently completed on the Navy’s prototype M80 Stiletto.
A series of drone-detection trials were recently completed on the Navy’s prototype M80 Stiletto.
The tests gauged the testbed ship’s compatibility with a DroneSentry-X anti-drone system, showing that it can maintain its speed and low-profile, all while avoiding any drones that come near.
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The system itself is packaged in a relatively small (24.9” x 24.9” x 9.1”) pod and is designed to be roof-mounted. This means that the system can be used on vehicles outside of the water as well.
The DroneSentry-X, developed by Australia-based defense contractor DroneShield, “demonstrated overall detection capability, detection and defeat ranges, on-the-move operation in various sea states, and effectiveness against drone swarms, involving a wide range of unmanned robotic threats.”
According to information provided by DroneShield CEO Oleg Vornik to The War Zone, it remains unclear what the “wide range” of threats in these trials consisted of.
The product page on DroneShield states that the system “provides 360° awareness and protection using integrated sensors to detect and disrupt UAS moving at any speed.” The page also says that the system is, “suitable for mobile operations, on site surveillance and on the move missions.”
DroneShield claims the system utilizes artificial intelligence to survey the local radiofrequency environment and identify potentially aggressive drones. When the system identifies the radio bands marking those drones, it activates “non-kinetic jamming for controlled management of response to threats.”
A fact sheet on the system asserts that the DroneSentry-X has a detection range of more than 2km (1.2 miles) and a disruption range of “greater than 300m.”
A fact sheet on the system asserts that the DroneSentry-X has a detection range of more than 2km (1.2 miles) and a disruption range of “greater than 300m.”
A pairing as futuristic as the M80 and the DroneSentry-X appears to check all the boxes for littoral combat scenarios.
