Anti-drone devices have cropped up over the past few years. The Battering Ram drone from Anduril however may just be the final piece of the puzzle.
This is in response to the growing number of drone incidents around the world. These incidents, caused by irresponsible flyers, have created havoc around public areas. The most affected are airports, where a single drone within its territory can delay all incoming and outgoing flights.
The Physics behind the Flight
Ideas for these drone countermeasures include radar jammers, Geocaching, nets, and lastly, battering rams. The last one is a bit of a wild card however, since you have to use drones to take down other drones. With a bit of physics on their side, the battering ram drone can ‘push’ drones into a spiral. This takes a bit of timing, but if done correctly, the target would have a hard time recovering.
Anduril Battering Ram Drone
The security company Anduril has their own take on this battering ram strategy. They use a standard quadcopter – with a thicker top section. Anduril would then add a program that locks on a target drone, and uses its natural design to bump it into a spiral. Using speed, momentum, and a bit of targeting, it can smash into another drone from below. This knocks the target out, and in a lot of cases, damage it. This can render the drone unable to fly before repairs are made.
Anduril Video Potential
Anduril even created a video showcasing their drone’s potential. In a lot of cases, the upwards momentum of their Battering Ram can really do some damage on a flying drone. It can destroy wings, break landing gear, and most of all, it can take a drone out of flight. While this may be a bit impractical (one drone per target), the idea still sounds decent enough to work on.
What do you think? Will this be the final solution to rogue drones?
