ADW 2022: European security agencies developing common methodologies for C-UAS protection of U-space/critical infrastructure

INTERPOL will publish in June this year the results of its testing a range of counter-UAS systems at Oslo airport (https://www.unmannedairspace.info/counter-uas-systems-and-policies/interpol-tests-counter-drone-systems-at-oslo-airport-plans-counter-drone-guide-in-early-2022/), as part of a wider strategy to develop a standardised testing methodology which will feed into European Union (EU) funded Project Courageous, which focuses on creating a European wide framework for the selection, testing and assessment of drone countermeasures for law enforcement.

“We are working with the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Europe, the USA and Canada to make this happen. There have been hundreds of tests around the world but trying to get that information on what was tested, how it was tested and what the results were is very difficult,” said Christopher Church, Senior Forensics Specialist at INTERPOL.

Meanwhile, In its work to develop a risk analysis for counter-UAS protection of critical infrastructure the JRC is developing common criteria for aligning C-UAS solutions based on an analysis of risk, according to Paul Hansen, Project Manager, EC JRC Transport and Border Security. The risk will vary between a nuclear plant, a water purification centre and a Christmas market, “so we advise that infrastructure managers make their risk analysis depending on their needs, and not simply via an excel spreadsheet.” It will produce a handbook for C-UAS protection of critical infrastructure later this year.

Every geo-zone around a critical infrastructure (the wide “early warning” zone, the “action” zone where the risk is mitigated and the “protected” zone, the critical infrastructure itself) needs a counter UAS system, he said, and they will all need to be integrated. The placement of sensors is critical – the further apart the better the triangulation. “Typically in counter terrorism actions within 20 minutes the event is over. Bad actors are now sending up canary drones to see what happens and 2km is around 120 seconds for a drone flight.

(Main image: The JRC is now looking at how to integrate C-UAS within a UTM/U-space area, specifically researching how early identification of unidentified drones can occur and then how this data should be passed on to the relevant mitigation actors)

 

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