15 Feb 13h30-14h00
One of the most promising approaches to detect and classify UAVs is through sensing their RF communication with the ground control station. We will illustrate that, while the principle holds, the practical details can become extremely intricated owing to the complexity of the waveform used. In particular, modern COTS UAVs use spread spectrum technology to minimize the risk of interference with any existing RF communication in the ISM bands. The co-existence of several heterogeneous RF transmissions such as WiFi and Bluetooth signals in the same ISM bands makes it very challenging for an RF detector to detect and classify a drone signal. Alongside, the pseudo-random frequency hopping mostly used as a drone’s command and control signal complexifies the soft neutralization through jamming.