On Monday, a drone spotted over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence is a warning on how drones can be a major threat if undetected. As the usage of drones are becoming popular, drone manufacturers have also prepared solutions to detect ‘rogue’ drones and protect from drone attacks.

Today, drones are used in spraying fertilizers, and tests are on to use them to deliver medicines, food items and goods. However, there are chances that they can be used by anti-social elements. So how to detect ‘rogue’ drones?

‘Wake-up call’

Kiran Raju, Founder and CEO of the Hyderabad-based Grene Robotics said that as a growing nation, there has been an increase in drone attacks, and the drone over PM Modi’s residence is a wake-up call. Today, the risk of not having the right drone security is much higher than anyone can anticipate. How many cameras can face the sky, and even when an intrusion is observed, how can that be countered? Is there a fool-proof investigative process in place to detect, track and disrupt the flight of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)?

Grene Robotics’ Indrajaal — an autonomous drone security system — is designed to detect and protect VVIP homes, public events, critical infrastructure, government buildings, military installations and transportation infrastructure from all drone classes.

Indrajaal’s design principle leverages a combination of 12 unique layers of technologies that are powered by artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, robotics, machine vision and sensor fusion to identify, assess, decide and act in real-time in response to a drone attack. It can integrate with all current weapons suites and infrastructure to cover a wide-area up to 4,000 sq km per system, thereby eliminating the necessity of deploying multiple Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UASs).

When a drone is identified as a threat, Indrajaal assesses the level of threat it poses to defended assets within the area. These assessments, algorithmic in nature, are supported by a rapid analysis tool that utilises data generated by the system. AI can also be employed to assist with data crunching and reveal patterns, he said.

Anti-drone systems

Garuda Aerospace has introduced the Garuda Lakshman Rekha Anti-Drone System, which is soon to be launched, to ensure protection against unauthorised commercial drones while allowing authorised drones to operate seamlessly.

With its multi-layered hardware solution, including the Brain Unit, smart antenna, server and integrated GPS, the system can detect and track up to four drones simultaneously, providing real-time information on their altitude, location and serial numbers, said Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder and CEO, Garuda Aerospace.

With the system set to be functional by September, the company aims to provide enhanced security to high-profile government buildings, embassies and key departments, he said.

According to Kishan Tiwari, Co-Founder and CEO, TSAW Drones, it is difficult to say why this (drone above PM’s residence) happened, or if a responsible control system was missing. However, from a technical perspective, Unmanned Traffic Management system (UTMs) is important before one puts out a technology like this. At TSAW Drones, it is not just drones that the company promotes, but UTMs too.

Imagine if there is no system to control the air traffic for planes, how risky that would be. Similarly, UTMs controls and manages drones in airspace safely and efficiently. Therefore, proper coordination of the entire system is necessary to use any technology efficiently and responsibly, he said.

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