A team of researchers from South Korea’s Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) has developed new technology capable of detecting and tracking illegal flying drones that commit crimes such as unauthorized flying, terrorism and privacy invasion.

Expected to strengthen national security and enhance public safety against the threat of illegal drones, the ETRI technology detects and tracks illegal drones using an electro-optics/infrared (EO/IR) linked radar system.

Source: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI)

According to its developers, EO/IR-linked radar technology for illegal drone detection and tracking is intended to automatically detect, track and identify incoming drones by directing EO/IR sensors in the direction of the target detected by radar.

Further, the radar subsystem is designed to detect small drones within a 5 km radius via the Ku-band, thereby avoiding the X-band, which is commonly used for military purposes.

Meanwhile, the EO/IR subsystem developed by ETRI receives target information from the radar, uses an EO/IR camera to capture video footage of the target and then detects, tracks and identifies the drone according to that footage. Additionally, the EO/IR subsystem can detect and track targets up to 3 km away and can tell if a flying object is a drone when it comes within 2 km of the system.

"Our EO/IR-linked radar system for illegal drone detection and tracking is an advanced technology that can respond quickly and accurately to external threats posed by illegal drones. This new technology is expected to play a pivotal role in enhancing national security and public safety. ETRI will continue to devote its efforts to developing innovative solutions that contribute to national security and public safety," the researchers explained.

Its developers suggest that the technology can also be used in a variety of fields such as monitoring and surveillance for illegal drones at major events, public facilities and sports arenas, for VIP protection, border patrol, coastline monitoring, drone traffic control, UTM-based facilities and more.