Engineering news
UK start-up OpenWorks Engineering, which is developing an air-powered net launcher to stop drones, has won a US government competition for its technology.
The MITRE challenge, which was held last month at a US Marines base in Quantico, Virginia, saw the Northumberland-based start up stop more drones than eight other competitors during a live fire event to win a $20,000 prize.
OpenWorks’ SkyWall 100 anti-UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) ‘bazooka’ fires small anti-drone projectiles.
The system comprises of a hand held, portable compressed air launcher and an intelligent projectile with on-board countermeasures. The launcher uses a computerised Smartscope that compensates for the gravity drop and the lead required for a moving drone target in its trajectory.
When the operator pulls the trigger the projectile is programmed to deploy its on-board net and parachute at precisely the right time to catch the target drone.
OpenWorks said the SkyWall “out performed” all of the competition, companies which came from the US, Germany, France and Denmark with anti-drone solutions that used a mix of electronic counter measures.
OpenWorks said: “Many of the drones were being flown autonomously and without radio link to the operator, something that prevented many of the jamming technologies from successfully stopping the targets”.
SkyWall100 works independently of how a drone is being piloted and as such was able to protect the designated area better than any electronic counter measure device.
The first SkyWall 100 system is expected to be in use before the end of 2016.
MITRE is a not-for-profit organisation that operates R&D centres sponsored by the US government.
The use of small UAVs is growing because of cost reductions and a rise in interest in the technology. As well as legitimate use, this has resulted in an increase in unauthorized uses, and some UAV users potentially threatening the safety of aircraft in the national airspace and creating security concerns by operating near sensitive locations.