The U.S. Marine Corps has explored possibilities of new man-portable counter drone system, called the SkyWall100.
SkyWall100 is a handheld system that gives a mobile operator the ability to physically capture a drone in a specifically designed ‘drone entangling’ net. New counter drone system was developed by the British OpenWorks Engineering company.
SkyWall100 demonstrated physical capture capability, with low collateral damage, in several “drone threat” scenarios at the Marine Corps Base Quantico for the Non-Lethal Technology Exercise NNTEX-18C.
SkyWall100 successfully engaged several moving and static drone targets, demonstrating SkyWall’s ability to physically capture and neutralise a drone threat. The system defeated multiple drones including the large DJI S1000 octocopter, that was captured in a simulated live mission when it was armed with an inert payload.
The demonstrations were set to show existing deployed systems such as , alongside emerging non-lethal capabilities in countering Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aerial System (LSS sUAS) threats.
Technologies demonstrated included Detection, Identification, Jamming and Physical defeat. The threat briefs and scenarios demonstrated the growing need for a physical interdiction.
When jamming systems were able to disrupt the drone, it would hover allowing SkyWall100 to easily capture the device, ensuring the perpetrator is denied the ability to re-engage the defensive force. This showed SkyWall100s ability to be used alongside other technologies to offer a layered defense.
SkyWall100 can be used as a standalone drone defense system but can also be integrated with a wider security system, using the module, to offer a highly capable counter drone package.
A single SkyWall100 system can protect an area or multiple systems can be deployed from mobile units to protect a large site.
A large number of military officers, analysts and observers from NATO nations around the world attended, gaining an appreciation of the complexities associated with drone threats and the challenges faced by the military when operating in a range of environments.