Protection (anti-drone system)

2023

Co-production with Egyptian company

Research Institute "Vector" holding "Roselectronics" concluded an agreement with the Egyptian company on the production of complexes to combat drones "Protection." The press service of Rostec (Roselectronics is part of this state corporation) announced this agreement on December 7, 2023.

It is noted that the purpose of the concluded contract is to increase production volumes and promote means of combating UAVs developed by the Vector Research Institute in Africa. At the same time, the name of the company with which Vector entered into a license production agreement is not specified.

The Protection Complex will be produced jointly with a company from Egypt

For the Research Institute "Vector," cooperation with an Egyptian company is a big step towards a promising African market, - comments Sergey Skorykh, General Director of the Research Institute "Vector." - Our solutions for countering drones are already successfully operated and provide reliable protection of protected facilities in Russia. Today, the company offers foreign customers various products in the field of monitoring, detection, identification, support and counteraction of UAVs. This agreement opens up the opportunity for us to develop new markets and promote Russian products in the field of drone protection on the African continent.

The Defense complex detects and counteracts intruder drones in a sector of 30 to 360 degrees, which, unlike dome systems, allows it to be used for targeted suppression of specific intruder drones in a pre-identified frequency subband. This is one of the key advantages that allows the system to be applied to sites where drones are used. The system is invisible to other radar stations and resistant to radio interference, placed in several portable cases and put into operation in 30 minutes.^[1]

Entry of the complex into the market

In early December 2023, the Zashchita mobile complex was released, designed to combat drones. The system was developed by specialists of the Research Institute "Vector" to protect various facilities of long and short length - hydro- and nuclear power plants, oil and gas pipelines, airports, sea and river ports, as well as facilities of law enforcement agencies.

It is noted that all parts of the complex are placed in several portable cases and put into operation in 30 minutes. The new equipment for countering drones includes:

• passive radar system (PARLS);
• radio monitoring equipment;
• device for suppressing the "Sickle-VS" line.

Mobile complex "Protection"

According to the developers, PARLS and RM - they are invisible to other radio technical means, as they work in passive mode - they do not have active radio emission. PARLS can record the approach of aircraft, including radio wanderers, at a distance of up to 11.3 km. The principle of its operation is to detect and process digital signals reflected from the target from the television and radio tower.

It is claimed that radio monitoring equipment is able to determine what is approaching the protected area - an aircraft, helicopter or quadcopter. The PM module places the UAV control signals from the operator console and can record its location.

As for the purpose of the Serp-BS5 system, it provides suppression of signals from satellites and the control panel at frequencies from 900 MHz to 1.5 GHz. The manufacturer will also offer a version with an extended range of UAV countermeasures up to 430 MHz in the version "Sickle-BS6." By early December 2023, work is underway to increase the range to 8 GHz, which will expand the system's control channel detection capabilities.

2021: Announcement of a mobile complex to combat UAV "Protection"

On February 26, 2021, Roselectronics announced a mobile complex to combat unmanned aerial vehicles. A system called "Protection," according to the developers, fits in three suitcases and unfolds in half an hour.

According to the press service of Rostec (the Roselectronics holding is part of this state corporation), the complex is able to recognize drones in the 360 ​ ​ degree range and at a distance of 2 km determine what type they are (aircraft, helicopter or tiltrotor).

The device can also detect the location of the UAV control panel and break the communication channel with the aircraft. For this, a continuous frequency overlap is provided in the range from 400 to 6200 MHz, used to control drones. Simultaneously with the suppression of drone control channels, a system for suppressing navigation signals of global satellite systems is provided.

Protection (anti-drone system)

As the manufacturer notes, thanks to the passive coherent locator of the Zashchita radar station, it does not irradiate the target, but uses signals emitted by external third-party transmitters - digital television waves reflected from the target. The lack of an active locator allows the system to remain invisible to other people's intercepting devices, which significantly reduces the likelihood of radio interference. In addition, passive radar does not require permission to use radio frequency channels, which facilitates its use in the civilian sphere.

Vyacheslav Mikheev, General Director of the Vega concern (part of Roselectronics), said that the tests of Zashchita had been completed by the end of February 2021, and the company was ready for serial production. According to him, "Vector" is ready to produce up to 50 complexes per year.

The cost of the complex by February 26, 2021 is not called, but Roselectronics assured that it will correspond to the market. According to experts, today the cost of complex solutions for countering UAVs is 25-35 million rubles, depending on the configuration, the holding added.^[2]

Notes