The Ardronis Wi-Fi system launched by technology group Rohde & Schwarz can not only shoot down drones, but also sneak into drones and steal their data, thus increasing efforts to deal with the threat of commercial drones to civil and military aviation.
It would be easy to think of drones as a military issue, based on their use in the Russia-Ukraine war and elsewhere, but the FAA reports that in the United States alone, there are more than 100 reports of drones being spotted in potentially dangerous areas every month. Whether the reason for the drone's presence is ignorance, mischief, or malice, these sightings must be taken seriously because even a drone the size of a small bird can have catastrophic consequences if it is sucked into a jet engine or collides with a helicopter rotor.
Countering these drones has become big business, with most systems focused on capturing or destroying the drones via shotguns, microwaves, lasers, nets, or even falcons. Or it could interfere with the control and navigation signals that drones rely on.
The Ardronis Wi-Fi system takes a novel approach by not damaging or interfering with drones, but instead getting inside their electronics and exploiting them. A large number of commercial drones rely on wireless LAN signals for control and navigation. Ardronis monitors these transmissions, allowing it to automatically detect nearby drones and roughly determine their direction, even if they haven't taken off yet.
That's cool enough as an early warning feature, but more than that, the system can intercept the drone's video transmission (depending on the model) and send it to the Ardronis operator - effectively stealing command and control of the drone. To make matters worse, the system can also decode the drone's remote ID and read detailed readings about its position, speed and altitude, among other interesting information.
In addition to high-intensity eavesdropping, the system can also cut off the connection between the drone and its controller. This doesn't disable all drones in an area across the board like other systems. According to the company, Ardronis can eliminate individual drones while sparing other non-target drones.
Anne Stephan, Vice President Monitoring and Analytics at Rohde & Schwarz, said: "Ardronis Wi-Fi is a game-changer in the field of drone detection and mitigation. With its cutting-edge capabilities and user-centric design, the system provides a powerful and intuitive solution for the detection, location and neutralization of Wi-Fi controlled drones, making it a vital asset for organizations focused on security and surveillance."