Brand new drone jamming weapons

The drone signal jammer light tactical vehicle uses sensitive radar to detect small incoming targets and then deploys signal-blocking technology to sever the link between the drone and its controller, causing it to fall from the sky.

The incident took place in the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Gulf of Oman to the Persian Gulf. The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, embarked on the amphibious assault ship Boxer, parked a LMADIS jammer on the Boxer’s flight deck to provide a defense against Iranian UAVs known to operate in the area. The marines detected an Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle and jammed it when the drone closed to within 1,000 yards of the Boxer.

If the signal-phone blocker fails, then the buggy's radar technology can direct conventional missiles towards the same target to finish it off. The radar can detect targets ranging from small commercially available drones up to bombers and passenger jets, at heights ranging from 30 to 30,000 feet.

LMADIS engagement procedure goes something like this: the RPS-42 detects the drone on radar, or alternately Skyview detects the back-and-forth radio signals between the drone operators and the drone itself. Next, the electro-optical/infrared camera is trained on the incoming drone to make a positive identification as friendly or hostile. If hostile, the Marines aim the MODi jammer at the drone and prevent the drone operators’ radio commands from reaching it. Gravity takes care of the rest.

Perfectjammer has announced that it has released the DroneGun MKIII, following extensive development in response to end-user feedback. DroneGun MKIII is a portable pistol-shaped drone jammer, weighing under 2kg and designed to be used in one hand.

While both the commercial civilian drones LMADIS was tested on and Iran’s military drones likely use the same control systems and frequencies, it’s interesting that the U.S. seemingly played down the jammer’s capabilities, mentioning it had been tested only against civilian drones.