Detect and target drones

The project is part of Region Blekinge and BTH's marine technology initiative.

Drones have become increasingly useful in military contexts in recent decades.

In the past, drones were exclusive and expensive, but today advanced models are available to the public at prices below SEK 15 000 for smaller drones and below SEK 100 000 for drones that can carry loads over 10 kg. This availability poses an increased risk, especially for the Swedish Armed Forces (FM) vessels, even in peacetime.

The large-scale war in Ukraine has clearly shown that drones pose a real threat to warships. Traditional reconnaissance radar systems on warships are not designed to detect small drones, and there is uncertainty about the effectiveness of fire control radar against these threats.

This project aims to develop methods to improve the ability of warships to detect and track small drones. Initially, the project will focus on analyzing current problems with radar-based detection of drones. This includes signal processing, electromagnetic modeling and realistic measurements, as well as a literature review to map previous research in the field.

Once analyzed, the research will focus on detecting, classifying and tracking drones. The methods that will be used include systems engineering, signal processing, machine learning and radar systems.

The aim is to improve the ability of warships to both detect and ultimately combat small drones, which will contribute to increased safety and effectiveness in naval operational environments.