SBIR/STTR Award attributes
Small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) threaten Air Force bases with unauthorized incursions, smuggling, and attacks. Expeditionary air bases in the Middle East routinely come under attack from weaponized sUAS. The 87th Security Forces Squadron (87 SFS) executes counter small unmanned aerial system (C-sUAS) defensive measures to detect, deter, and defend against unauthorized sUAS. The squadron deploys C-sUAS radiofrequency (RF) detection devices to identify and if necessary counter unauthorized UAS that enter JB MDL air space. Current C-sUAS tools lack mobility and are fixed in their position once deployed. The fixed C-sUAS systems work through line-of-sight detection and can be limited by dense tree lines, buildings, and/or other natural/man made obstacles. This creates C-sUAS coverage gaps in certain sections of the perimeter where a UAS can fly through. There is no way to tell if the downed UAS is outfitted with an explosive, which puts the Defenders in uncertain dangerous scenarios. It also takes several hours to investigate a downed UAS, which is time that could otherwise be spent performing more important force protection functions. Without constant and flexible c-sUAS coverage, an adversary can fly a sUAS to the base and commit espionage on major Air Force troop movements and responses to global affairs, due to the base’s mobility mission set. Or a civilian / criminal operated sUAS can get sucked into the engine of C-17 or C-5 aircraft, crash the plane, cost the Air Force millions in damage and kill the plane’s crew. At other bases that contain fighter aircraft and strategic nuclear assets, such inefficiencies and blind spots put America’s air combat power projection, intelligence gathering, and global strike capabilities at risk. In active war zones in the Ukraine and the Middle East, weaponized sUAS are now a routine occurrence on the battlefield that are already being used against US forces and our allies. Ghost Robotics Corporation proposes to partner with the 87 SFS to introduce mounted C-sUAS capabilities on the back of their Quadrupedal Unmanned Ground Vehicle (Q-UGV) robots. The modified and enhanced C-sUAS robot will perform continuous autonomous patrols along specified routes, effectively plugging C-sUAS gaps and enabling more consistent and flexible defensive coverage. It also frees up manpower for more human-centric functions by automating patrols and making C-sUAS functions less reactive in nature. The mission impact of this project on the DAF and DoD will be to introduce a mobile C-sUAS robot capability that enables flexible and easily deployable C-sUAS defense for large airfields and forward deployed locations. A mobile autonomous C-sUAS capability can also be deployed to forward airfields in austere environments where there is a persistent UAS threat, enabling better defended airfields and undisrupted air combat power projection in forward deployments.
