DROKI

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Drones are inexpensive devices deeply affecting security, safety and privacy. To suppress Drones operability is nowadays a mounting issue. Considering that Drones are frequently used inside cities, their suppression is not an easy task and collateral damages have to be carefully assessed and possibly avoided.

The discrimination between a “Foe” Drone from a “Friend” (i.e. those used by law enforcement agencies) is a critical task. The usual instrumental uncertainty is further complicated by the presence, on the same environment, often quite narrow, of many other useful devices operating on the same radio bands.

Droki is Aliteco’s response for enforcing “No Drone Zone”. Droki is intended to fight small-medium size Drones (either helicopters or airplanes) by killing their radio-links first, but not only. Not to interfere with the great number of other communications channels in the spectral and geographical vicinity, Droki has been designed as a highly selective system.

By design, Droki is capable to damage the data-link between a Drone and its base station. Data acquired by the Drone cannot be transferred to the respective ground stations. Droki suppresses also Drones navigation system based on GPS/Glonass/Galileo/Compass. Drones equipped with inertial navigation system or visual navigation system are not particularly affected.

Droki open architecture is full-configurable for allowing the user to utilize whichever component already available. To duplicate new equipment on an (if) existing system, other than expensive, it often results in an unmanageable technical complex.

For urgent requirement and immediate use on the field, Aliteco has implemented ARBAL a very portable unit resembling a rifle. Once identified the Foe Drone, just point at it and fire electromagnetic disturbance.

Droki’s theory of operation, implemented at level of Control Center, is based on the only possible logical paradigm: Detection, Tracking, Characterization and Suppression.

Warning: Radio emissions are subject to governmental authorization and jamming is prohibited in principle. Aliteco can supply Arbal only to entities duly authorized by the respective governments.​

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Detection
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According to the experience, the most suitable equipment for the Detection of a drone is a Radar. Aliteco’s radars in X and K band are an ideal solution although many other kind of 3D radars could be appropriate. Any 3D radar capable to detect a Drone with a radar cross section of 0.01 m2 at 15-30 Km is sufficient.

For a close Detection (i.e. in the city), static radars with flat panels, usually in Ka band, are the most convenient. Minding that in the urban areas only small helicopter drones have to be fought, it is envisaged to engage a larger number of simpler radar with lower range (less than 5,000 m) at a lower radar cross section (less than 0.01 m2).

To increase the early-warning capabilities, it is possible to integrate into Droki a passive radiolocation system (ESM). Given the radio frequencies used by Drones, the operating range of Droki will extend to 150 Km (2D only).

A multiband opto-electronic sub-system is highly recommended for the final confirmation of the Detection. Such a need especially if operating in crowded or limited environment.

Detection will ultimately result in a Drone Vector (azimuth, elevation and distance). This Drone Vector is passed to the Control Center for the Foe/Friend Discrimination and for further processing.

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Tracking
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For the best discrimination of a Drone, Tracking capabilities are an essential feature of Droki. By tracking a Drone it is possible to understand its operating capacity, its path and ultimately its degree of dangerous.

Tracking is performed by a sophisticated software inherited by Aliteco’s expertise in air traffic control. Chiefly based on multi-step 3D Kalman filtering, feed with data fused from the various Detection sub-systems (i.e. radar, direction finder, etc.), tracking will render a perfect idea of the Drone’s path.

Optical Tracking will complement the task making possible to the operator the most appropriate response to possible threats.
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Characterization
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For suppressing a Drone it is necessary to selectively identify the spectra of their radio-links (navigation and data). For precaution, it is usually recommended to suppress both links and in the new generation of Drones is it further requested to damage the GPS radio integrity.

The Characterization of the Drone is performed with a Radio-Bearing sub-system composed of 2 stations at minimum. High selectivity of this Characterization is granted by windowing only the radio-emissions which sources are compatible with the Drone Vector.

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Suppression
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Aliteco has implemented the Suppression of a Drone by damaging its radio-links and, if necessary, the integrity of GPS-Glonass-Galileo-Compass signals. Therefore, for performing the Suppression, Aliteco engages a multi-band, narrow beam, directional Jammer. Directive Antennas are coordinated by the Control Center with the very same Drone Vector.

It results that only devices on the line of sight from the Jammer station and the Drone are affected. If Friends are in the sector, algorithms at Control Center are capable to delay the Suppression of Foe Drones in order to minimize collateral damages.

Control Center
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Control Center coordinates Detection, Tracking, Characterization and Suppression. Control Center is intended for a full-automatic process. Nonetheless a number of manual inputs will grant the indispensable human control of the process. Very important features when operating in a crowded environment.