Description

This three-day course delivers a thorough overview promoting an understanding and building a successful Counter Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) architecture. The threat posed by small UAS operated by criminals or terrorists has become more prevalent in recent years. Overall mission effectiveness in countering these systems depends upon appropriate systems and technology. This course presents a comprehensive view of the threat, counter UAS systems, the associated architectures, and organizations that promote and coordinate these activities. It begins with fundamental scientific principles, shows how those principles are exploited in various technologies, and describes current systems that take the technology into practice. The course evaluates and ranks various CUAS technologies. The legal framework for CUAS activities is reviewed.

What You Will Learn:

• The small UAS threat to critical infrastructure
• Theory and operations of counter UAS sensor systems.
• Counter UAS engagement systems and effectiveness
• Organizations that promote and coordinate counter UAS activities.
• The legal framework for CUAS activities.

Course Outline:

1. The threat posed by criminals and terrorists exploiting small UAS in disruptive activities at airports and other critical infrastructure. Small commercial UAS that are available and typically employed.
2. Recent events in which criminals or terrorists have threatened critical infrastructure such as airports, in the US and abroad, employing small UAS.
3. Sensor systems that are used to detect, identify, and track small UAS. These include radar, radio frequency sensing, electro-optical, infrared, and acoustic sensors. The characteristics, strengths, and weakness of each type of sensor type is discussed.
4. The small UAS engagement systems are discussed. These include the use of high-power lasers, jamming, communications capture, and attack drones. The advantages and disadvantages of each of these is discussed.
5. Organization, both government and commercial, that promote and coordinate counter UAS activities. These include organizations of the US and other countries.
6. The legal framework within which CUAS activities may take place is reviewed.

Instructor(s):

Dr. Clayton Stewart has over 30 years of experience performing across the spectrum of research direction, line management, program management, system engineering, engineering education, flight operations, and research and development. He has had extensive involvement at all levels as Technical Director, Principal Investigator, Operations Manager, Director of Research, Program Manager, Associate Professor, Chief Scientist, Systems Analyst, Member of the Technical Staff, and Aircrew Member.