Prediction of UAV Swarm Defeat With High-Power Radio Frequency Fields

Abstract

Swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be used to disrupt air traffic and can also function as weapons, since they can either be equipped with improvised explosive devices or can be used for collision purposes. Hence, defensive measures against such threats are important from both a civilian as well as a military perspective. This article argues that high-power radio frequency (HPRF) directed energy weapons (DEWs) can provide a suitable defence against swarms of UAVs. Hence, it would be useful to be able to undertake a performance prediction assessment of the proposed HPRF DEW systems. Consequently, two models are introduced for this purpose and a single measure of performance is derived for each. To illustrate the way in which these models can be used for performance prediction, a particular example of an HPRF DEW is investigated, and its utility in terms of UAV swarm defeat is quantified.