Mini-UAVs

Tackling Multi-dimensional Aerial Threats.

- Major Kevin Fernandez

UNMANNED AERIAL Vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, are aircraft that do not carry any crew, but rather, are operated remotely by human operators, or autonomously via preprogrammed software or robots. UAVs vary widely in size and capacity, and have become increasingly prevalent. Their use has increased exponentially over the last decade for a broad range of applications, including cartography and mapping, inspection of remote power lines and pipelines, delivery services communications relay, police surveillance, traffic monitoring, border patrolling and reconnaissance (recce), and emergency and disaster monitoring.

The use of mini-UAVs has increased exponentially over the last decade for a broad range of applications. The recent commercial availability of a new generation of small UAVs has emphasised the growing threat posed by these machines. There is a need for reviewing the security threats posed by mini-UAVs in areas such as terrorist attacks, illegal surveillance and recce, smuggling, electronic snooping, and mid-air collisions. The categories of mini- UAV intrusions in terms of intention and level of sophistication of the operators vary and thus keeping in view these mini-UAVs there is a need to formulate ad solutions for these multi-dimensional air threats.

The aim of this article is to give an insight into the mini-UAVs utilisation in the aerospace and to bring out the probable air defence (ad) solutions to multi-dimensional air threats posed by mini-UAVs.

MINI UAV AS AN AERIAL THREAT