At the Farnborough International Airshow 2024, MBDA unveiled a new effector concept for its Sky Warden counter-uncrewed aerial systems (C-UAS) modular solution.
This new concept features a ground-launched anti-air munition to target threats such as Class 1 and smaller Class 2 small uncrewed aircraft systems (sUAS) and Loitering Munitions. In collaboration with Fortem Technologies and utilizing their DroneHunter® technology, the concept allows for the rapid integration of a warhead on a drone, offering a cost-effective solution for defeating threats. Tests of the munition have demonstrated its effectiveness and lethality.
In recent demonstrations, Sky Warden has confronted various offensive drone threats with different kinetic characteristics in realistic scenarios, neutralizing them all. Utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to assist human operators in identifying and classifying threats from a comprehensive sensor suite (including radar, passive RF, and electro-optical cameras), Sky Warden efficiently assigned the most appropriate and available effectors. The system blocked attacking drones with jammers, captured them with hunter drones, neutralized them sequentially using lasers, and destroyed a ‘shahed-like’ drone with a Mistral 3 missile from a very long distance.
With tests of its new effector concept and the recent demonstration in Italy, MBDA envisions an RF-guided drone-style effector with a directional fragmenting warhead to complement Sky Warden’s existing capabilities, providing customers with more adaptable options to meet their specific needs.
Drawing from MBDA’s extensive experience in air defense and effects management, Sky Warden is a scalable system capable of neutralizing threats ranging from tactical drones to reconnaissance mini-drones and other traditional air-breathing threats. It manages the complete C-UAS kill chain from detection to neutralization. It can operate as an integrated component in a layered air defense architecture or a standalone configuration. Using a networked ecosystem of continually evolving sensors and effectors, Sky Warden matches and evolves with UAS threats.
Post Image Credit- MBDA and Fortem Technologies
