Picket Defense Systems’ Inferno RTC counter-UAS device is about to be boosted with a 360° passive infrared sensing system that will create a more persistent detection solution against FPV and AI-enabled drones.
The systems – LightPath Technologies’ CST Solo-based passive hemispheric IR sensing technology – is built around multiple focal plane arrays consolidated into a single video engine. This combines with a proprietary shutterless algorithm that enables maintenance of continuous passive IR awareness. The shutterless design obviates the need for the system to recalibrate and create potential blind spots in coverage that fast-moving drones could exploit.
The use of an IR sensor magnifies the problem facing the drone operator. Many drone manufacturers have successfully mitigated the threats emanating from RF-denied or GPS-denied environments, but countering an IR detection threat is considerably more difficult – and costly – for small format drones. Furthermore, the 360° coverage offered by the new system also presents challenges for the drones, which hitherto have been able to exploit gaps in coverage left by traditional sensor solutions.
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The capability of the system to provide what the two companies describe as “always-on passive awareness” enables C-UAS units to continuously monitor all hemispheric quadrants – an immense tactical advantage in the world of close-in air defence, where detect-decision-act cycles can often be measured in seconds.
Headline image: An artist’s rendering of the Inferno RTC counter-UAS system. (Picket Defense Systems)
