Angry seagulls chase a drone flying through Paris in July 2024. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
NurPhoto via Getty Images
Troops of the Washington National Guard are now equipped with a counter-drone technology suite built to distinguish unmanned aircraft systems from birds at long distances.
Soldiers in the Guard’s Counterdrug Program and members of the 10th Civil Support Team learned to use the system, built by Anduril, to spot and target drones.
The system combines different highly sensitive sensors and software with advanced recognition technology. The system includes WISP, the Long Range Camera Tower, the Pulsar frequency sensor and Lattice software.
The system tracks drones in real-time and feeds data gathered from diverse sensors into a single channel for military personnel to evaluate.
In addition to being able to distinguish between drones, birds and other objects in the atmosphere, the system leverages sophisticated artificial intelligence capabilities that allow it to pinpoint the potential locations of hostile drone operators.
Deterring Hazardous Materials
The 10th Civil Support Team is the Guard’s response unit for biological and chemical attacks and frequently performs national security-related missions.
Lt. Col. Wes Watson, director of the Commander’s Action Group for Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, said that the unit is concerned with drones being used to drop hazardous materials.
“CSTs have been exploring ways to defeat this delivery mechanism [drones] for years and would be vital in the response to a downed drone suspected of carrying a WMD [weapon of mass destruction],” Lt. Col. Wes Watson, director of the Commander’s Action Group for Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, said in a statement.
Guardsmen spent two weeks of intensive training learning to use the detection system and plan to deploy it to provide security at large-scale public events.
“From our groundbreaking work in our Counterdrug program to the recent acquisition of an Anduril system as a byproduct of FIFA prep, we are getting after the challenges here with law, policy and domestic employment,” Maj. Gen. Gent Welsh, adjutant general of the Washington National Guard, said in a statement.
The Guard troops plan to continue training with the new technology alongside federal agency partners including the FBI and Department of Homeland Security to gain further expertise in using it to detect drone threats within the United States.