The US Government Is Building A 'Drone Dragnet' For Battlefields (thestack.com) 25
The US government plans to launch "a three and a half year initiative to develop an urban drone detection system." An anonymous Slashdot reader writes: The Aerial Dragnet program is to use off-the-shelf commercial components and mostly established technologies and methods to create a network of floating or tethered platforms that will ultimately provide 95% efficient drone identification in urban areas up to 180 square kilometers. The call to proposers states that the total cost of the system for a city should be around $90,000, and would likely include the ability to identify the micro-Doppler signatures given off by UAVs -- and birds.
Unmanned aerial systems are becoming platforms "for hostile reconnaissance, targeting, and weapon delivery," warns the government document, noting drones are hard to detect because they're small and fly slowly at low altitudes. "In future urban battlegrounds, U.S. forces will be placed at risk by small UAVs which use buildings and naturally-occurring motion of the clutter to make surveillance impractical..."
Unmanned aerial systems are becoming platforms "for hostile reconnaissance, targeting, and weapon delivery," warns the government document, noting drones are hard to detect because they're small and fly slowly at low altitudes. "In future urban battlegrounds, U.S. forces will be placed at risk by small UAVs which use buildings and naturally-occurring motion of the clutter to make surveillance impractical..."
Despite the possible usefulness (Score:1)
I cannot for a moment imagine this finding use as anything but a new abusive scheme, so long as it's the US government coming up with it.
Probably won't catch a single terrorist, but watch it work with unbelievable power and efficiency the day we try to defend ourselves from some congressmen who want to hunt some poor for sport.
Re: Unnecessary military slant (Score:1)
wouldn't the end of a 3.5 year study (Score:2)
"For Battlefields" (Score:3)
"floating or tethered platforms" (Score:2)
First thing I thought was "prime enemy target".
Then, "WW1 observation balloons", which were also prime enemy targets.
Re: (Score:2)
https://www.theguardian.com/us... [theguardian.com] (Tuesday 2 June 2015)
24/7 aerostats looking down. Tracking cell phones, computer use. With the NSA and OVERHEAD like options even wifi.
https://theintercept.com/2016/... [theintercept.com]
Total domestic drag net surveillance.
DHS Uses Wartime Mega-Camera to Watch Border (04.02.12)
https://www.wired.com/2012/04/... [wired.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Your attitude is why Russian hackers are stomping all over US computers.
Huh (Score:2)
Why would a city in some other country spend money to make things easier for the US Army? Oh wait, I think I $éà m*@#./...&*(
no carrier
A drone version of NEACP (Score:1)
Other than areas of large no-fly areas (Washington DC?) or a temporary security corridor, such as when Air Force One is in the area, it doesn't seem to be cost effective to have everywhere.
Seems like one more step towards having more surveillance over a given area.
Now that the Airspace is under surveillance, better find a way to monitor underground. Maybe there are gophers wearing explosive vests? Better require all cities to track them varments. You know....just in case.
Re: (Score:2)
Remember how the Iranians caused the US military to genuflect in awe of their capabilities to field thousands of Zodiacs with a bit of TNT? No? Well, they wish you did. They were right proud of their new found offensive capability. Kinda like their new stealth fighter (model).
Basically the same theme. One purchases hundred or thousands of drones, slightly larger than the typical Phantom class and capable of hauling, say, a stick of dynamite or C4, and runs them through a civilian target. Pretty easy t
Re: (Score:2)
...One purchases hundred or thousands of drones, slightly larger than the typical Phantom class and capable of hauling, say, a stick of dynamite or C4, and runs them through a civilian target. Pretty easy to do. Pretty easy to defend against but you would have to rig it up specifically for this level of threat - F35's are probably not going to be real useful here...
Drones are no good as weapons while fighting with peers. With savages - yes, but not with peers. Drones' control radio-signal is extremely vulnerable to jamming by the electronic warfare (EW) systems. For example, if something like this is switched on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org] it will not be a good flying day for a drone pilot.
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Skynet (Score:2)
Threatened daily. (Score:2)
Surveillance (Score:1)
Where will all the data go?