Navigating the Sky: The Multi-Layer Approach to Anti-Drone Solutions

In an era where drones are becoming an integral part of our lives, the need to manage and mitigate drone-related threats has never been more critical. Drones, while offering numerous benefits, can also pose significant challenges, including threats to our safety and privacy, and potential misuse for criminal activities. Whether you’re a decision-maker in an organization, a policy maker, a security enthusiast, or a citizen concerned about privacy and safety, understanding the landscape of drone threats and the methods of combating them is essential. This article aims to equip you with insights into the multi-layer approach, one of the most effective strategies in countering drone-related threats. We’ll delve into the specifics of this approach, examining its benefits, potential challenges, and alternative strategies. Our goal is to help you make informed decisions about drone security and understand why robust anti-drone solutions, such as those offered by Sentrycs, are increasingly relevant in today’s drone-saturated world. Moreover, as drone strikes rise, it becomes crucial to adopt a multi-layered approach to counter new and emerging threats. This approach incorporates common architectures and information sharing, among other imperatives, to address the threat to life and property posed by the weaponized use of small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS).

Drone Security: Why Choose a Multi-Layer Approach?

The multi-layer approach is a comprehensive set of procedures and systems, designed for dealing with potential drone threats. It involves multiple lines of defense, each providing a different method of detecting, tracking, and neutralizing drones.

Many of the counter-drone technologies currently available were originally designed for different purposes but have managed to adapt and extend their capabilities to become potent and effective counter-drone systems. These counter-drone systems are often referred to as “drone-agnostic” because they are not specifically tailored to detect a particular type of commercial drone, but rather they theoretically apply to all commercial drones. The assumption behind drone-agnostic solutions is that they offer broader coverage and protection against a wide range of commercial drone threats. However, the question remains: do these drone-agnostic counter-drone solutions truly provide superior and more effective protection against the ever-evolving modern threats posed by commercial drones?

 The reality is that drone-agnostic C-UAS systems have many disadvantages that are often overlooked or misunderstood.

1. They struggle to detect, identify and track smaller drones that weigh less than 250 grams
2. They can not locate the drone operator’s location
3. They create false positives as they also detect things that aren’t drones, such as birds, or any other moving object in the area they monitor
4. Many of these solutions are limited to line of sight
5. They are ineffective in terms of tracking as they are not able to identify & differentiate between 2 identical drones
6. They cause collateral damage and are therefore not suited for urban or semi-urban areas

Therefore, it’s clear that one type of technology alone can not address 100% of the drone threats out there, hence a multi-layer approach is required.

The primary benefit of this approach is that if one line of defense fails or is bypassed, the others can still provide protection. This redundancy and diverse strategy make the multi-layer approach one of the most reliable methods for tackling drone threats. The multi-layered approach is not only about having multiple systems in place but also about the integration of these systems. The systems should be able to communicate with each other and work together to provide a comprehensive defense against drone threats. This integration is crucial for the effectiveness of the multi-layer approach (source: Security & Defence Poland).

Key Components of the Multi-Layer Approach 

There are four key components in the multi-layer approach to drone defense:

Drone Detection

Utilizing various tools and technologies like advanced radar systems, radio frequency scanners, sensors or protocol analytics (like Sentrycs does) the system identifies potential drone activity as early as possible.

Drone Tracking and Identification

Once a potential drone is detected, the system tracks its movement and identifies it based on characteristics such as size, shape, flight pattern, and radio frequency signature. Sentrycs is able to Monitor drone height and speed, locating both drone coordinates and remote control last known location

Drone Identification

The Sentrycs’ system is providing user-level identification, including drone vendor, type, and serial number.

Drone Mitigation

Following identification, the system must neutralize the threat, either through signal jamming, physical interception, or control takeover. Sentrycs is able to disconnect the drone from remote control, bringing to safe altitude, landing safely in designated area

Forensics and Analysis

Post-incident, the system provides detailed data for forensic analysis, enabling better understanding and preparation for future threats.

Sentrycs, an industry leader in anti-drone solutions, can easily be integrated within such  an innovative and comprehensive multi-layer approach to tackle drone-related threats effectively. Using Protocol Analysis technologies, Sentrycs’s solution ensures robust detection, precise identification, and rapid neutralization of potential drone threats. Backed by an advanced analytical platform for post-incident analysis and response enhancement, Sentrycs delivers unmatched security in an increasingly drone-saturated world.