[Courtesy of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration]
SEOUL -- South Korea's military will test-run a radar-linked solution that can detect ultra-small drones and fire interference radio waves to neutralize them before they reach key military facilities. It is capable of detecting an ultra-small drone about eight kilometers away.
The anti-drone solution developed by K-NETZ, an IT company, will be piloted for six months from June 22, said the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), a state arms procurement agency controlled by the Defense Ministry.
"South Korea is expected to lead the global market in the field of ultra-small drone detection radar as domestic researchers have developed a radar technology that can detect an ultra-small drone some eight kilometers away," DAPA said in a statement on June 22.
The anti-drone solution consists of an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, an infrared thermal imaging camera, a jammer system and a ground control tower. DAPA said the AESA radar used in the solution was developed by a startup created by Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST). AESA is a computer-controlled array antenna system that can electronically steer the beam of radio waves to point in different directions.
"We hope that our anti-aircraft capabilities to protect major military facilities will be strengthened further," Kim Il-dong, a senior DAPA official, was quoted as saying.
In April, a consortium led by the state-run Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) was selected for a government project to develop an intelligent drone cop system that could find and neutralize illegal drones threatening the safety of nuclear power plants, airports and other crucial facilities.
reporter
Lim Chang-won
cwlim34@ajunews.com
