Executive Summary
Evaluating RF jamming, directed energy, and kinetic interceptors against coordinated autonomous drone swarms.
Strategic Implications & Key Takeaways
- Single-frequency RF jamming is obsolete against autonomous, visual-inertial odometry swarms.
- Layered defense requires acoustic, micro-Doppler radar, and optical tracking tied to AI classification.
- Directed energy provides the lowest cost-per-intercept for high-density saturation attacks.
Analysis & Assessment
The proliferation of inexpensive, commercially derived unmanned aerial systems (UAS) has inverted the cost dynamics of low-altitude air defense.
Modern counter-UAS operations require an integrated sensor architecture that combines passive RF scanners, 3D radar, thermal imaging, and acoustic arrays into a unified tracking matrix.
Field trials indicate that autonomous swarm tactics will render single-point electronic countermeasures ineffective, necessitating hard-kill kinetic and directed-energy interception capabilities.
Institutional Actions
Contributing Author
Tactical Research Group
Air Defence & Autonomy Fellows