More than 20 local drone manufacturers reportedly participated in the test, showcasing cutting-edge solutions as part of the Him-Drone-A-Thon 2 event, launched in partnership with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

The trial took place at a mountain pass in Ladakh, which stands at 17,300 feet (5,250 meters), one of the highest in the world.

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HIM-DRONE-A-THON 2 is being organised at Wari La Pass, Ladakh on 17-18 September 2024 at altitudes exceeding 15,000 feet. The event offers an exclusive platform for over 20 drone manufacturers to showcase a spectrum of drone solutions designed for… pic.twitter.com/jeD2vBZVc0

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According to reports, the participating drones performed surveillance, logistics, swarming, and first-person view operations, demonstrating their ability to withstand extreme conditions along India’s mountainous borders.

“Drone technology is becoming indispensable in modern warfare, and we are leveraging its potential to not only secure our borders but also position India as a global leader in this field,” an army official noted.

The Indian Army did not disclose the specific drones or manufacturers involved in the demonstration.

‘Year of Technology Absorption’

India has declared 2024 as a “Year of Technology Absorption,” streamlining the development, acquisition, and integration of emerging technologies into legacy systems.

The country seeks to employ autonomous systems, artificial intelligence, and quantum technology to prepare for modern warfare.

New Delhi currently faces increasing tensions with China and Pakistan, stemming from territorial disputes and geopolitical rivalries.

The Him-Drone-A-Thon 2 event provided the Indian Army with an opportunity to identify promising technological solutions, which could be procured to aid border operations.

Its collaboration with the FICCI also fostered a culture of homegrown technological advancement, part of the country’s “Make in India” initiative.

“HIM-DRONE-A-THON 2 is a forward-looking initiative that reflects the army’s recognition of the immense potential for drones to enhance operational capabilities in difficult terrains,” an army spokesperson said.

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The assessment was made during a recent training exercise that aimed to test the country’s counter-drone capabilities and identify air defense issues that need to be addressed.

Duan Xiaolong, a member of an unnamed PLA regiment, told state broadcaster CCTV that his unit only achieved a 40-percent hit rate during the first round of artillery strikes against multiple drone targets.

He said UAVs naturally have the speed, size, and ability to change flight trajectories, making it difficult for gunners to neutralize them individually or in a swarm.

According to a military commentator, the artillery used in the training exercise may have been older models from the 1990s or 2000s.

These weapons apparently have outdated technology against drone swarms, compromising both their accuracy and operational safety.

Growing Significance

Global investments in counter-drone capabilities have soared amid multiple geopolitical conflicts.

UAVs have become a key feature in the Ukraine and Gaza wars, dramatically altering battlefield tactics and providing enhanced reconnaissance.

In anticipation of the pivotal role of drones in future conflicts, many countries including the US have ramped up their spending to address these threats.

Last week, the US Army received its first EAGLS laser-guided counter-drone system featuring the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II.

NATO countries in Europe have also bolstered their air defenses, with Poland unveiling the HAASTA drone-killing UAV and the UK testing a truck-mounted directed-energy weapon.

For its part, Beijing has urged its defense industry to ramp up production of smarter and more efficient anti-drone weapons, including jammers and lasers.

The post China’s Anti-Aircraft Weapons Register Low Success Rate Against Drone Swarm appeared first on The Defense Post.

During the incursion, Kyiv reportedly used signal-jamming devices to down Moscow’s surveillance capabilities and limit its border defense.

This allowed Ukrainian drones to carry out a surprise attack on the ground while troops were advancing into enemy territory.

According to Russian military expert Samuel Bendett, it is no surprise that Ukraine would be using such an approach, considering its huge investment in electronic warfare.

“It does seem plausible,” he told CBC News. “We know Ukraine [is] ahead of Russia when it comes to developing [these] tactics and techniques.”

Carefully Planned

According to data released by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukraine has advanced over an area of at least 800 square kilometers (308 square miles) of Russian territory.

Its military also reportedly controls more than 28 Russian towns after last week’s incursion.

Though some details have been leaked to the media, Ukraine is remaining silent on how exactly the successful offensive occurred.

However, Oleksiy Goncharenko said the military action was “carefully planned.”

“I understand that you need to attack places where you wouldn’t expect it. That’s what the Ukrainian Armed Forces did,” he explained. “If we used new tactics and new technologies, that’s definitely a plus.”

Drone Army Paying Off?

In 2022, Ukraine announced plans to build an “army of drones” from donations in response to Russia’s aggression.

It also established a new army branch dedicated solely to drone warfare.

This huge investment in unmanned aerial systems appears to be paying off, as Kyiv is able to strike deep into Russia using its kamikaze drones.

“We have everything to win the war against the Russian Federation. Everything to replace a person in the trench, at sea, in the air, and underwater,” Ukraine deputy defense minister Ivan Havryliuk said.

The post Ukraine Skillfully Used Drones, Jammers to Break Into Kursk: Russian Observers appeared first on The Defense Post.

“During the night, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to commit a terrorist attack with drones… was foiled,” the defense ministry said.

“In all, 87 Ukrainian drones were shot down above Russian regions,” it said, adding that 70 drones were downed over Rostov, six each over Kursk and Voronezh, and two each over Volgograd and the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine.

There were no human casualties in Rostov, but the attacks sparked power cuts in several areas, regional governor Vasily Golubev said on Telegram.

In Voronezh, which borders Ukraine, a fuel reservoir was slightly damaged by falling debris, its regional governor Aleksander Gusev said.

The post Russia Says Downed 87 Ukrainian Drones Overnight appeared first on The Defense Post.

In a press conference Monday, the ministry explained that the new initiative would involve taking several measures aimed at further bolstering the country’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capabilities.

The first is the establishment of a drone competence center at the Lithuanian Military Academy to offer relevant courses for enhancing the skills of future drone operators.

Once established, anyone who is interested in acquiring basic drone piloting skills can enroll. Classes will reportedly kick off in September.

“The goal is for at least a thousand Lithuanian citizens to acquire skills as drone operators,” Defense Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas said.

Those who will complete the drone operator courses can opt to “move up the ladder” and train as combat drone pilots with the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union.

Promoting Drone Industry

As part of the plan, Kasčiūnas said a total of 7 million euros ($7.6 million) would be given to Lithuanian manufacturers to support drone production.

They will develop surveillance and reconnaissance UAVs, as well as first-person-view (FPV) drones that require special goggles to display the camera feed.

Once produced, the plan is to send the prototypes to Ukraine as aid and then see how they will perform on the battlefield.

“Many companies say they can produce the required number of FPV drones in one and a half to two months, and we will deliver them to Ukraine as aid,” Kasčiūnas revealed.

‘Not Left Behind’

To mature the country’s drone ecosystem, the defense ministry also plans to give around 100,000 euros ($108,000) to non-government organizations that would organize drone pilots’ clubs.

Schools and colleges would also be urged to set up drone classes.

For now, Kasčiūnas assured that some Lithuanian politicians have started paying more attention to bolstering the country’s UAV capabilities, especially after seeing their apparent combat success in Ukraine.

“We can argue endlessly about the importance of drones in future wars, but we all agree that this is a transformative technology, and our country needs to be in the process so that we do not get left behind,” he said.

The post Lithuania to Develop Drone Ecosystem Amid Growing Regional Threats appeared first on The Defense Post.

The milestone is part of a $66.1-million contract for a directed energy solution to neutralize drones and drone swarms.

The US Army received the first IFPC-HPM product under this project in November 2023.

Alongside finalizing the delivery, the company also concluded the New Equipment Training and Engineering Developmental Testing (NET-EDT) services with the agency to pursue the issuance of operational capability for the weapons.

Epirus wrote that associated trials for the IFPC-HPMs were facilitated in April to assess the platform’s tactical functions and effectiveness against targets with complex flight patterns.

Future operators also received first-hand experience with the system during the live-fire event as a follow-up to their preparations last March.

The US Army Test and Evaluation Command will use the information gathered throughout these tests to inform future IFPC-HPM efforts, budgets, and deployments.

“Completion of NET and EDT puts the US Army closer to fielding HPM operationally,” Epirus CEO Andy Lowery remarked.

“We were able to demonstrate effects that we haven’t done in this close to a real-world environment, including coordinated fires for additional range and advanced waveforms for greater effectivity,”

“We learned a lot about the importance of each system within the system-of-systems approach that will inform capabilities, limitations and requirements. Most importantly, we’ve demonstrated that our HPM systems are effective for the counter-drone and counter-swarm mission as a final protective fires solution within a layered defense.”

Indirect Fire Protection Capability Program

The US Army’s latest directed energy weapons are part of the Pentagon’s broader IFPC program to employ a fleet of protective suites against unmanned aerial systems, cruise missiles, artillery, rockets, and mortars.

This initiative’s solutions are planned to have a mobile, ground-based design intended to secure warfighters as well as other critical fixed and semi-fixed capabilities.

The US government noted that future IFPC assets would also address gaps between the PATRIOT air and missile defense system, the short-range air defense (SHORAD) platform, and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.

The post Epirus Completes Delivery of Anti-Drone Directed Energy Weapons to US Army appeared first on The Defense Post.

The deal covers the assembly of the company’s proprietary Special Warfighter Assistive Robotic Machine (SWARM) solution.

SWARM is a platform with a high-resolution camera and thermal and night vision for first-person view functionality.

The system is designed for rapid deployment, providing users “an edge” for surveillance and response missions.

It can be launched singly or in group configuration and leveraged for landing and dropping payloads.

Additional tasks include troop protection against enemy combatants, radiation, gas, and other related threats.

Furthermore, the nano drone can carry explosive charges to damage enemy assets and infrastructure.

“With the SWARM, Tesseract Ventures is not just introducing a new product; we are ushering in a new era in military technology,” Tesseract Ventures CEO John Boucard stated.

“This technology is a game-changer for personnel, enabling technological advantages previously unavailable on a single platform.”

“Our commitment to innovation is reflected in the SWARM, offering enhanced capabilities and strategic benefits to our Special Operations Forces.”

The post Kansas Robotics Firm to Develop Nano Drones for US Special Ops appeared first on The Defense Post.

Each will have a truck-mounted ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft cannon as a cheaper counter-drone option to the guided missiles/rockets-based short-range air defense systems, Izvestia revealed, citing sources.

Additionally, it will have electronic warfare equipment and smoke production vehicles to disable unmanned aerial systems, the Russian state-backed outlet added.

Wall of Bullets

Inducted in the 1960s, the 23mm twin-barrel ZU-23-2 is designed to protect low-moving and stationary objects from aerial attacks with a rate of fire of up to 2,000 rounds per minute.

“We have Shilka complexes with four twin 23-mm cannons that work as a single unit,” Izvestia quoted military expert Alexei Leonkov as saying. 

“They can put up a fire curtain that no drone can fly through.” 

The ZU-23-2 has a firing range of 2.5 kilometers (2 miles), which necessitates an accompanying drone-detection mechanism, Leonkov added.

The post Russia to Deploy Mobile Anti-Aircraft Gun Units to Counter Ukrainian Drones appeared first on The Defense Post.

Called SwarmCore, it is an advanced software system made up of multiple networks to control drone swarms and other unmanned platforms.

It can be operated fully autonomously or by remote human control at a safe distance from the battlefield.

With the new tech, vehicles that are part of a fleet would be able to continue pre-programmed missions even if one of them is attacked. With this, Babcock said no single asset in the fleet will become a point of failure.

The technology was demonstrated at the UK Ministry of Defence’s BattleLab site last week.

Integration With Arqit’s Encryption Tech

According to the company, SwarmCore was recently integrated with Arqit’s Symmetric Key Agreement Platform for safer transmission of data to and from unmanned vehicles.

The platform provides encrypted keys to transmitted information, enabling robust protection against cyberattacks.

Arqit chairman David Williams said the ground-breaking tech not only enhances security but also boosts SwarmCore’s operational agility.

For Babcock chief engineer Brad Yelland, combining autonomous systems with advanced software that can deal with sophisticated cyber threats could be a game-changer in the modern defense landscape.

“Technologies like this give [defense customers] more control in today’s complex defense environment, increased performance and security along with the ability for their teams to perform tasks remotely with solutions that are quicker and more cost effective to implement,” he said.

The post Babcock Unveils Tech to Autonomously Control Swarm of Drones appeared first on The Defense Post.

Thales and the University of Bordeaux conceptualized the “AutonomouS SYstem for Decoying using Uav Swarms” (ASSYDUS) project under the aegis of the Defense Innovation Agency.

It hypothesizes a swarm of small aerial drones whose collective radar cross section (RCS) resembles a fighter jet.

AutonomouS SYstem for Decoying Project 

“The originality of the principle adopted is to position the drones of a swarm autonomously in order to obtain an RCS, measured by the radar of the ground-to-air system, which is equivalent to that of a combat aircraft, and to set up drones (a swarm) management so as to lure the radar which would measure the target’s Doppler,” the project description reads.

The swarm’s autonomous capability is crucial in implementing the deception and thus requires drones that could autonomously position themselves in such a way that increases their RCS.

“The autonomy of the swarm will be crucial in applications containing numerous cooperating drones or drones supervised by an operator whose concentration is already required on other activities (an airplane pilot for example),” the Defense Innovation Agency said.

The project has been validated following flight tests of several multi-rotor autonomous drones and confirmation of the results in real-time, according to the agency.

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