A Thai research team is developing a radar system capable of detecting an unauthorised drone flown within a 2-kilometre radius, a technology hoped to help enhance efforts to regulate drones for security reasons.
The proliferation of drones in Thailand has raised concerns over the risk they could be deployed in criminal activities which may include terrorist attacks, said Assoc Prof Akkarat Boonpoonga, the head of the drone-detecting radar system development project at the Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB).
Drones may be used by people to trespass on off-limits places such as palaces or steal into events requiring high security such as royal ceremonies, he said.
The drone-detecting radar technology which his team is working on is actually nothing new for many other countries; but the prices are usually way too high for such gear to be imported, he said.
"Our team has decided to develop its own version of the technology to make it more affordable for Thai security authorities," he said.
The device being developed can be fitted to a car so it can be moved around where needed, he said.
The radar scanning system has a maximum coverage of 16 square kilometres at ground level and one to two kilometres above ground, he said. The device is capable also of detecting the real-time speeds of a target and accurately predicting the direction in which the target is moving, even while in the dark or in the rain, he said.
The radar-scanning ability, however, is still limited in cases where the surroundings are crowded with tall buildings, as the radar system can barely penetrate buildings, he said. This means the results of radar scanning may not be accurate in this type of environment, he said. The newly developed drone-detecting device is now being tested on the KMUTNB's premises as permitted by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission, he said.
When the test is complete and the development complete, the device will be handed over to a key security agency such as the Royal Thai Air Force, which has the right to use the 9-11GHz frequencies for real-world testing, he said.
The KMUTNB intends to develop the radar sensing system further so it is equipped also with a drone jammer so security authorities can also capture unauthorised drones after they have detected them, he said.
