There are various methods used to eliminate drones flying without permission and passing through security zones. One that is unique is to capture the target drone with a net device. This technique has previously been introduced to the Skywall anti-drone system.
The difference is, in this latest solution, nets are not fired from portable man weapons, but the target drone is captured by another drone.
By carrying out netting techniques, the target drone can be caught without damaging the drone itself. The drone designed to catch other drones is the Rapid Eagle, which is none other than a type of quadcopter drone developed by Thales.
Thales developed the Rapid Eagle drone in a C-UAS solution based on the PARADE program (Programme de protection déployAble modulaiRe Anti-DronEs). In a unified detection and identification system, the solution offered by Thales is to eliminate the target drone without destroying it.
In the simulation, the Rapid Eagle drone with agile maneuvers will fly above the target drone. Equipped with hooks and nets, the mini-sized drone can be immediately caught in the net, where the target drone propeller will be directly caught in the net. Thierry Bon, Drone countermeasures Lead for Thales, said that the Rapid Eagle has a payload capacity of 5 kg, which means that mini drones will not be difficult to 'conquer'.
In April 2022, the Government of France has awarded a contract to a consortium led by Thales and CS GROUP to enhance the drone countermeasures capabilities of the French security authorities.
The contract is worth 350 million euros over 11 years and was awarded following a request for proposals issued by the French defense procurement agency in 2021 under the PARADE programme.
The PARADE system will detect, classify and neutralize micro and mini drones to provide a safe and secure means of protecting people, property, events and important infrastructure, in full compliance with national and international regulations, in France and in operations abroad.
The advantage of PARADE is a fully integrated system operated by one person. Thales said PARADE is equipped with detection and classification capabilities (radar, direction finder, optronic sensors), and uses artificial intelligence to support decision making.
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As well as providing permanent 360° protection at a specific location, the PARADE system is also mobile. That means it can be moved easily from one location to another by road, air or sea, greatly expanding its scope and accelerating its deployment. The same system can also be used for joint civil-military operations, for example to protect critical infrastructure such as military bases.