The trench war in Ukraine is a test bed for the future of air combat: drone warfare. “Nowadays, the use of converted drones by Ukrainian military forces is a valuable tool in daily reconnaissance for infantry units on the front line, making strikes against enemy vehicles and artillery positions, as well as providing intelligence for [special operations forces] and providing constant support during patrolling missions,” Staff Sgt. Kostiantyn Denysiuk, a Ukrainian special operations forces company first sergeant, told Coffee or Die Magazine.
Last week (1st October) the Dutch military conducted a counter drone trial using SMASH 2000+ in combination with the issued Colt 5,56 assault rifle. A group of about 15-20 soldiers of all branches attended (Air Force, Marines, Army, Special Forces, Procurement Agency, Maintenance office). The group was trained before the test in the morning. Most of the soldiers were new to the system. In the afternoon the trial was conducted.
A variation of drones were shot at 75-150 meters. Both stationary and moving.
The overall result of the test was good. All drones could be shot down quickly. The MoD already published a report stating that they want to start the procurement process soon:
The Air Force is in the market for upgrades to its counter-drone technologies, according to an Oct. 16 request for information posted on a federal contracting website.
The service is in the early stages of deploying lasers, microwaves, and other weapons more advanced than a shotgun to deal with potentially threatening drones loitering around bases. In particular, the RFI is looking for ideas to fend off the smallest unmanned aerial systems like quadcopters.
Gemeinsamen mit den Niederlanden beschafft das estnische Zentrum für Verteidigungsinvestitionen (ECDI) sieben unbemannte Bodenfahrzeuge (Unmanned Ground Vehicles, UGV). Vier davon werden an die Niederlande und drei an Estland ausgeliefert. Estland wird die Fahrzeuge noch im Oktober 2020 erhalten, die Koninklijke Landmacht wird ihre erst in einigen Monaten.
Die Abwehr von Drohnen wird durch neue Technologien inner weiter verbessert. Vor allem die Abwehr von Schwarmangriffen ist eine besondere Herausforderung für die Luftverteidigung, da eine individuelle Feuerlei-tung an ihre Grenzen stößt, wenn sie mehr als eine Handvoll Zielen gleichzeitig bekämofen muss.
About: A large commercial drone Feihong-98 (FH-98) developed and modified by the China Academy of Aerospace Electronics Technology made a test flight in north China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region. Feihong-98 (FH-98) is now the world’s largest unmanned transport aircraft, with a maximum payload of up to 1.5 tonnes. It was adapted from the prototype of the Shifei Y5B, a China-developed transport plane. The FH-98 features simple take-off and landing, simple operation, advanced technology, at an affordable cost.