Army has called on industry for battlefield innovations to boost the endurance, lethality and survivability of soldiers as new threats continue to emerge on the battlefield.
First-person-view drones continue to wreak havoc on armour and personnel in the war in Ukraine, highlighting the need for counter-drone technologies – a focus of several companies at Army Innovation Day 2024, held during the Chief of Army Symposium in Melbourne.
Platypus Research and Development took part last year, securing Army funding to further develop their electromagnetic pulse (EMP) drone disruption technology.
Operations Manager Simon Lederer said their technology emitted a powerful EMP to disrupt or destroy a drone’s electronics.
Their device, which they call the ‘bug zapper’, is a trailer-mounted array of printed circuit boards that directs a high-powered radio frequency field into a chosen area.
“Any electronic device you point the bug zapper at will get fried,” Mr Lederer said.
This makes the system effective in preventing drones from re-engaging after an attack.
Despite the system’s high-power output, it can operate on small-power sources, such as a car battery.
This is because of the EMP’s short duration, which concentrates energy into a brief timeframe, like a camera flash.
The technology can be scaled down or up, providing protection against drone swarms with a broad area of effect.
Their technology is suited for forward operating bases, mobile operations and permanent defence establishments.
Another company that secured funding at last year’s innovation day, Codarra Advanced Systems, returned this year to showcase advancements in its passive drone detection and exploitation technology.
Managing Director Warren Williams said their product had grown from a directional system to an omni-directional one, offering a 360-degree view for drone detection and a significantly longer range.
“Our product will give a soldier the exact location of the drone, its distance, and its path, as well as an indication as to the drone’s role,” he said.
The system looks at a drone’s radio signal signature, allowing it to infer details about its activity and purpose.
Mr Williams said they were working on strengthening the hardware to withstand tough environmental conditions and improve software to simplify maintenance and updates.
“Drone technology is moving monthly, so we’re developing the detection system to handle the evolution of drones from the past two to three years,” he said.
Much of this is informed by conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.
