New drones are a challenge for security.

  New drones are a challenge for security. 

Geran 3 drone

The new jet-engined Shahed drones called Geran-3 cause problems for Ukraine's air defense. That is one of the things that the Ukrainian war has taught us. The rapid development of the drone industry can render countermeasures that were useful and effective a couple of weeks ago ineffective in current situations. Things like optical fiber-controlled drones are hard targets for defenders. 

Those things are almost immune to the normal jamming systems. The EMP pulses that can destroy electronic components or laser systems that can cut the command fiber are tools that can affect those drones. But the use of the non-coherent EMP means that their own drones and other vehicles in the EMP area are also in danger. The laser system should detect the optical fiber before it cuts that fiber. 

And fiber-controlled drones can also be put in chains. That improves their attack range. The optic fibers would be pulled through another drone, and the drone can make a chain that is hard to detect or avoid. There is also a possibility that drone swarms are controlled by using laser communication. The laser drone can be a fiber-controlled system. And it can send laser pulses to other drones wirelessly. 

The laser-controlled drones have one problem. They require straight eye contact or a fiber that transfers the command signal. Regular lasers have one problem in drone control. Those lasers must be aimed. Using high accuracy. Blinking holograms can help with that problem. The optical communication is harder to jam. But the laser rays cannot travel through the smoke and fog. Those things also cover drones from defenders. 

 The Shahed-drones are now dropping anti-tank mines. But there is a possibility that the jet-engine-powered versions of those drones can also carry anti-tank weapons. Those anti-tank or anti-radiation missiles can increase those drones’ ability to cause damage. And another thing is that those drones can use those missiles against the power stations or radar installations. 

And they can also disturb the air defense. That is the problem with weapon development. The solutions that were effective against propeller-engine Shahed-136 drones are not effective against jet engine versions of those drones. The jet-engine drone can fly much higher than those propeller drones. The next step will be  AI-controlled drones that can operate independently. The drone will fly near its target using inertial navigation. Or it can use TERCOM, the AI follows the terrain area, and the system compiles that data with images. Those are stored in its memory. 

When the drone is close to its target, the system starts to search point, that it must destroy. The system uses photographs that are stored in its memory to detect the target. And then the system orders the drone to dive. And make a kamikaze attack. Basically. Those drones can use similar systems that Javelin uses to detect targets. Image-based target recognition can be used in all types of missiles and drones. 

https://www.armyrecognition.com/focus-analysis-conflicts/army/conflicts-in-the-world/russia-ukraine-war-2022/russias-jet-powered-shahed-238-drones-introduce-new-challenges-to-ukraines-air-defenses

https://www.twz.com/air/russian-mig-29-fitted-with-an-interceptor-drone-is-a-laughable-mess

https://www.twz.com/air/russias-shahed-long-range-drones-are-now-dropping-anti-tank-mines

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HESA_Shahed_136

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TERCOM