Ubiquitous Radar

When a client required a ground-based system capable of delivering rapid detection, location, and identification of drones or other uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) within its vicinity, the ubiquitous radar emerged as a preferred platform solution.

While high-resolution cameras could potentially offer visual identification of such targets within known areas, their utility in scanning wide expanses of sky quickly enough to identify a swiftly approaching threat proved impractical.

In response to this challenge, the Plextek team provided a demonstrator, leveraging an adapted version of an existing low SWaP ubiquitous radar technology, within an ambitious timeframe.

This demonstrator succeeded in delivering accurate target reports through ethernet with minimal delay and high update rates, incorporating real-time Doppler signature analysis to effectively classify threats. This innovative approach also helped in minimising false alarms by distinguishing between actual threats and non-threatening objects such as birds.

The Plextek team had to carry out a detailed systems study when a client wanted to assess the applicability of ubiquitous radar and other approaches to a very demanding space-based application.

The study culminated in a novel solution, including a high-level description of the implementation and expected performance.

Airborne applications

The ubiquitous radar can differentiate between drones and birds – and even determine the size and type of drone. It can be deployed in congested environments, for example, on the side of buildings as part of a distributed sensor system, with each node providing coverage within a radius of up to 1 km.

The low size, weight and power (SWaP) associated with the technology also make it highly applicable for development into airborne applications.