Last Saturday, Munich airport found itself at a standstill due to the incursion of a drone into its airspace, preventing 26 planes from landing and delaying numerous takeoffs.
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Drone incursions of this type are nothing new: in the first three months of the year alone, 37 drones were recorded at German airports, according to the German air traffic control. We also do not know where these flying machines come from, since none has been recovered so far. These could therefore be so-called “hostile” reconnaissance vehicles, but also simple leisure drones. To determine the origin of a drone, it would be necessary to be able to recover the device intact, or to question its pilot.
The solution: a drone hunter
The German company Argus Interception developed, in cooperation with the American company Echodynea solution: a drone which, using a radar, goes drone hunting in order to capture the unknown machine in a net. The objective of the A1-Falke is to secure the drone by preserving it as much as possible, to avoid collateral damage due to debris and to be able to examine the device afterwards. To intercept the opposing machine, the drone has two net charges and can thus attempt a second capture if the first fails.
During an exclusive presentation organized for a select group of journalists, including Euronews, Argus Interception et Echodyne showed their drone hunting system.
On a training ground near Hamburg, an enemy drone flew over the meadow before being chased by the A1-Falke. After a short chase, a noise similar to a gunshot was heard and the machine found itself in the nets of the hunting drone.
Asked by EuronewsSven Steingräber, co-founder and general manager of sales and marketing at Argus Interception, explains that the system is intended in particular for environments where a kill shot is not an option, such as near airports, critical infrastructure or in urban areas.
“We embarked on this project because we had identified a capacity gap,” continues Sven Steingräber. It is also, he says, “to act in a proportionate manner against a drone”. The objective is to avoid collateral damage and falling debris. This is precisely what the net system should allow.
“We are able to capture the drone, transport it elsewhere and drop it off wherever we want,” ajoute SevenSteingräber. “And thus we avoid damage to third parties or simply material damage.” This plays an important role, especially in densely populated areas.
How does the system work?
To simplify, Echodyne provides the eyes of the system, Argus the gripping arm. The idea is to first spot a drone, then neutralize it in a controlled manner.
Within the same system, the two companies Argus Interception and Echodyne assume different tasks: while Echodyne monitors the airspace with its radars and detects suspicious flying objects, the A1-Falke interceptor droneArgus supports the actual interception mission.
The big radar “EchoShield” first detects any drone entering the monitored area, tracks it with high precision and transmits the data to the operations center, explains Eben Frankenberg, managing director ofEchodynein an interview with Euronews. À ses côtés, the radar plus compact “EchoGuard” performs the same function at shorter range.
As soon as a target drone is identified, its position is transmitted to the interception system. On the interceptor drone itself is also located the radar “EchoFlight”which follows the target drone during the approach and allows the A1-Falke to follow it until the capture maneuver.
The A1-Falke then pursues the flying machine and attempts to capture it using a net. For this, the drone is equipped with two nets. It is controlled from the ground by an operator. Artificial intelligence serves as an assistant, but decisions are made by a human.
Who is authorized to neutralize drones?
Sven Steingräber points out that many still think that a drone flying over a building cannot initially cause any damage. “Modern wars often do not begin with the first shot, but with this collection of information. Many are not aware that this sensitive information can later have considerable effects”he explains.
“Such drone flights over critical infrastructure can have serious consequences. Action sequences are filmed, supply routes and hotspots are assessed for the enemy, so that in the event of a crisis he can strike in a targeted manner, because he has this information.”
Reports of drones above critical infrastructure, airports and even Bundeswehr sites have been increasing since Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in 2022, in violation of international law.
Legally, it was the police’s responsibility to knock the drones out of the sky. The Bundeswehr was only authorized to deal with drones flying over its own territory. Last year, the aviation safety law was therefore amended. The main responsibility certainly remains with the police, but the Bundeswehr can now provide assistance when the Länder or the competent authorities request administrative assistance and the existing means are not sufficient.
Critics of the current regulations, however, believe that operators of critical infrastructure so far have only limited means to react to unauthorized drone flights. They plead so that in the future, they can use appropriate defense systems themselves, such as the UAV interceptor.ArgusFor example.
As this drone does not carry any real ammunition and is therefore not considered a weapon, operators can take it off, knock the intruder out of the sky themselves and have it examined.
