10 Key Countermeasure Technologies for Drones

1.  Jamming and Disruption Technologies

• Electromagnetic Interference (EMI): EMI effectively blocks communication between drones and their control stations, cutting off remote signals, data, and video transmissions. When the drone loses its signal, it enters a self-protective mode, enabling emergency landing or rerouting. EMI can also locate and jam multiple drones simultaneously, with some destructive effects within a certain range.
• Navigation Signal Jamming: Civilian drones typically use satellite navigation systems to determine their location. Jamming these navigation signals causes the drone to lose its precise position, which interferes with its control system and flight. This method is easy to implement due to the weak navigation signals, but it can impact other nearby navigation terminals, so caution is needed when deploying it.
• Acoustic Jamming: Drones rely on gyroscopes to maintain stability during flight. Acoustic jamming interferes with the gyroscope’s function by generating sound waves that resonate with the radar feedback, causing the drone to lose control and crash. While this method can be effective, it is currently costly and impractical for widespread use.

2. Direct Destruction Technologies

Direct destruction involves using missiles, lasers, combat drones, or conventional weapons to target and completely destroy drones. This method requires precise aiming and is highly expensive, leading to irreversible damage to the drone. As a result, direct destruction is not a practical solution for civilian applications.

3. Interception and Capture Technologies

Another approach is to intercept and capture drones, either on the ground or in the air. Shotguns are commonly used to shoot down drones, but they have a limited range. Larger drones can also be equipped with large nets to capture smaller drones. However, this technique is challenging to execute, and smaller drones have an advantage in agility. Additionally, trained birds of prey, such as falcons, can be used to capture drones and deliver them to a specified location. While this method is limited by range and requires the drone to be within sight, advances in obstacle-avoidance technology make interception and capture more difficult.

4. Deception and Control Technologies

• Navigation Signal Spoofing: This technique targets the satellite navigation systems of civilian drones, sending fake satellite signals to mislead the drone into flying to an incorrect location. Spoofing can be used to create no-fly zones, deceive the drone’s return point, or alter its course. If the drone receives weak satellite signals, spoofing can be achieved with minimal transmission power.
• Radio Signal Hijacking: Drones typically use control signals on common civilian frequency bands, such as 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz. Hijacking involves decrypting the drone's communication protocol and taking control over it, allowing for full remote manipulation. This is one of the most advanced counter-drone technologies today. However, as drone communication and encryption technologies advance, decryption is becoming increasingly difficult and requires regular updates to adapt to changing frequencies and protocols.
• Hacking Technologies: Many drones are controlled through smartphones or tablets via wireless networks, allowing the use of hacking techniques to intercept their communications. Although these technologies are highly effective, they are complex and difficult to commercialize. As a result, most counter-drone technologies today focus on jamming and disruption methods.