No Drone’s Sky: Full Spectrum Drone Surveillance and Neutralisation Concept for Enhanced Counter-UAS Framework

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), commonly known as drones, have witnessed substantial global proliferation in the past decade. Their constructive applications hold the promise of being a useful, yet critical component in creating a more efficient society with the enhancement of safety, efficiency, and facilitating advancements in various domains, ultimately contributing to our modern daily lives. However, the escalating dependence on computer and communication technologies renders, especially small, UAS susceptible to various threats, posing risks to public safety, national security, and individual privacy. Addressing these concerns necessitates the development of innovative technologies designed to detect, track, identify, and eliminate UAS in a manner that upholds safety, security, and privacy. A Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) is defined as a system or apparatus capable of legally and securely incapacitating, disrupting, or assuming control over an UAS. Recent years have witnessed significant research endeavours aimed at detecting and eliminate drone threats. Detection methodologies encompass acoustic, visual, passive radio frequency, radar, and data fusion techniques, while neutralisation strategies encompass physical capture and jamming approaches. This paper, delving into the realm of small drone surveillance, is the opening segment of a three-part series aims to envision a C-UAS framework; it provides an exhaustive review of existing literature in the domain of UAS surveillance, delineating the challenges associated with countering unauthorised or unsafe drone operations, and evaluating the trajectory of detection to prepare against UAS-induced threats. Therefore, the fundamental objective of this paper is to offer a comprehensive surveillance baseline for a structured vision to a C-UAS framework, thus fostering a research community dedicated to the secure integration of drones into the airspace system.