The military is devoting more and more attention to the threat of hostile drones on the battlefield, but what to do about the dangers posed by tiny micro-drones, especially in urban areas, where simply shooting them down isn’t usually a good option? Eight finalists in a technology challenge sponsored by the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Aviation Administration will compete their proposed defense systems Aug. 12-19 at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.
The finalists, chosen from 42 entrants who submitted white papers, range from small startup companies to Lockheed Martin Corp., which will demonstrate its ICARUS anti-UAS system. The counter-drone schemes they will demonstrate range from a handheld jammer called Dronebuster, which the Air Force is already using to defend some nuclear bases, to elaborate systems of sensors and other hardware that promise to detect, identify, track, disrupt and even take control of unidentified drones.