A live demonstration carried out in early November 2017 from a Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate helped the navy evaluate the threat posed to large naval vessels by small multi-rotor drones.
QinetiQ Target Systems (QTS) emulated the threat under a C$8.5 million unmanned targets repair, overhaul and engineering contract, awarded by RCN to QTS in 2015.
QTS flew its Snyper multi-rotor target alongside Lockheed Martin’s Indago quadcopter using QinetiQ’s Universal Target Control Station (UTCS), which facilitates the operation of multiple unmanned systems from a single command centre.
“Commercially available technologies, like off-the-shelf drones, are becoming more advanced and more accessible to those who wish to use them to cause harm. QinetiQ simulates these new and emerging threats to help the armed forces understand how to protect their people and assets,” Peter Longstaff, Managing Director, QTS, said.
“The information and results obtained during the demonstration are vital for the RCN’s development of remotely piloted systems use at sea, and the evaluation of ships’ critical defense systems. We are very pleased with the support that QinetiQ Target Systems provided to us during this demonstration,” Simon Nadeau, DNR-2 Unmanned Systems Section Head Commander, RCN, said.
The Snyper target is one of several QinetiQ technologies designed to help customers tackle threats from small unmanned aircraft, including the Obsidian detection system and a laser weapon currently in development by the Dragonfire consortium that will be capable of destroying drones mid-flight.