Directed-Energy System to Defeat Small Unmanned Aircraft System Swarms

New weapons technology is needed to combat the proliferation of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), miniaturization of sensor technology, and advancement of UAS swarm logic that will enable swarms of sUAS to threaten US airbases by the 2025 timeframe.

Air Command and Staff College, Montgomery, Alabama

The proliferation of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), miniaturization of sensor technology, and advancement of UAS swarm logic foretell that swarms of sUAS will threaten US airbases by the 2025 timeframe. Currently fielded base defense systems are not well-suited to combat this emerging threat. Current directed energy (DE) developmental systems indicate this class of weapons is the best solution.

Three indicators necessitate US Air Force preparation for an imminent sUAS swarm threat: 1) the proliferation of sUAS, 2) the miniaturization of sensor technology, and 3) the advancement of UAS swarm logic. The first indicator necessitating US Air Force defenses against sUAS swarms is the proliferation of these systems. According to FAA estimates, the number of hobbyist sUAS in the US will increase from 1.1 million in 2016 to 3.5 million in 2021. These estimates only account for UAS weighing 55 pounds or less purchased in the US for personal use. The FAA further estimates the number of sUAS conducting commercial activities in US airspace to increase from 42,000 in 2016 to 420,000 in 2021.