12.08.2019


Drones have no chance here

More and more frequently, drones endanger air traffic or are used to smuggle drugs and weapons into prisons. The start-up Dedrone has developed a system that detects unauthorized aircrafts, automatically triggers alarms and initiates defensive measures. Novotronic enclosures from ROSE Systemtechnik protect the RF sensor from rough wind and weather conditions.

The reports of near-collisions of drones and commercial aircrafts are piling up. Many hobby pilots are unaware that there are spell miles around airports, railways or prisons where they are not allowed to fly. Although there has recently been a “drone driver’s license” – but only pilots of aircrafts weighing more than 2 kg have to acquire that. Since most drones in Germany are below this limit, they are not covered by this rule. Therefore, the risk posed by the flying objects continues to be high.
In other areas, drones pose new challenges to the authorities. In the meantime, the aircrafts are being used by criminals to smuggle mobile phones, drugs or weapons into detained accomplices. And terrorists could use the aircraft as flying bombs – that’s already happened in Iraq. All of these examples show that there is an urgent need to worry about an effective drone detection system. Developed by Dedrone, DroneTracker automatically and in real time warns against criminal unmanned aerial vehicles and protects data centers, stadiums, prisons, airports and other critical infrastructures from smuggling, espionage and terrorist attacks. As required, any number of sensors and countermeasures, such as jammers, can be integrated into the DroneTracker and automatically activated.

Drone attack on Chancellor gave the impetus

The idea arose as a result of an incident that occurred in 2013 at a campaign event of the CDU in Dresden. At that time activists of the Pirate Party had a drone fly in the immediate vicinity of Chancellor Angela Merkel to point out the dangers of these aircrafts. Dr. Ingo Seebach, Jörg Lamprecht and Rene Seeber then founded Dedrone, in order to enable customers from sensitive areas to prevent such attacks. Their modular DroneTracker platform is so far unique in the market, as it manages the entire airspace monitoring of a previously defined area via an interface. The integration into already existing security systems as well as the integration of further sensors is possible without any problems.

DroneTracker alerts and initiates defenses

If a drone is approaching an area protected by the DroneTracker, the system will sound an alarm. The notification is made either via SMS or e-mail, with a network message, via SNMP and push notifications or via the user interface. Meanwhile, the drone’s MAC address, serial number, type and model are recorded. It will also give you the information if it is a repeated attack. In addition, the use of cameras can be utilized to determine exactly whether the discovered objects are actually drones. The cameras ensure video evidence that facilitates identification of the attacker.
Once the drone has been detected and the alarm has been triggered, the DroneTracker can automatically initiate active and passive third-party countermeasures. Depending on the legal situation, it is i.e. possible to disturb the electronics of the drone with a so-called jammer: The aircraft is either caused to fly back, to change course or to land. Since a crash of the drone is possible, this type of defense is always subject to approval. Other defense mechanisms include the launching of fishing nets or the electromagnetic bombardment of the drone, which destroys and crashes them (subject to approval). The simplest are so-called passive defense strategies. For example, closing cell doors in prisons or lowering blinds during industrial espionage.
The sensors of the DroneTracker can be easily and quickly configured via the browser-based user interface, their sensitivity is individually adjustable. By combining different types of sensors even winding and extensive areas can be monitored.

The World Economic Forum in Davos is one of the customers

As one of the first companies worldwide, Dedrone has been developing technologies for protection against small, civilian drones since 2014 and is one of the innovation and technology leaders in this field. The number of customers is rising steadily and now ranges from prisons and sports stadia, operators to industrial companies and airports to organizers of political events such as the World Economic Forum in Davos or the presidential debate in the USA.

RF sensor is protected by ROSE housing

The RF sensor detects drones and control commands through radio frequency patterns. All
commercial, hobby and home-built drones, and the entire DJI product line are recognized. In order to optimally shield the sensitive RF sensor from external influences, Dedrone chose the high-quality Novotronic housing collection from ROSE Systemtechnik. The aluminium profile enclosures are IP65 rated, meaning they are absolutely dustproof and protected against water jets. Their robust construction makes them easy to use in environments with temperatures between -40 ° C and + 90 ° C. For outdoor use, a class IP67 protection variant is also available.

Flexibility and service were crucial

In addition to meeting the technical requirements, ROSE’s great flexibility was crucial to the decision of the drone defense specialists. “We manufacture the Novotronic cases for Dedrone in the special lengths 160×200 mm and 160×300 mm”, says Jeannette Kossmann, Area Sales Manager Region North at ROSE. “Because we manufacture the enclosures from an extruded profile, we can realize individual dimensions without high additional costs”. ROSE also paints the cases for Dedrone in the desired special colors. As standard, the Novotronic series is supplied in the colors RAL 9005 (jet black / housing) and RAL 3003 (ruby red / functional strip).

Number of housing orders increases steadily

The speed and service of ROSE also impressed Dedrone: “We were able to provide the customer with a product sample and the complete documentation within a very short time,” says Kossmann.