Not to shoot down, but to blind. An innovative anti-drone system from Poland

Syland has been under development at ITWL for a year. The concept is based on neutralising drones by dazzling their optical systems (CMOS and FPA sensors) with a laser. This is facilitated by the fact that FPV (First Person View) drones use wide-angle cameras for observation. In turn, the laser spot has a diameter of approximately 15 cm at greater distances, making it easy to sweep over the target.

As a result, the drone’s optoelectronics are destroyed, and the entire unmanned aerial vehicle becomes useless as the operator can no longer control it. This usually leads to the drone crashing, as for various reasons it will be unable to return to base. This occurs regardless of whether the device uses radio communication or optical fibre. Targets can be effectively engaged at a distance of up to 1 kilometre.

A single Syland system consists of:

• a control panel;
• a helmet-mounted module with a display providing camera images to the operator and a spatial orientation system;
• an optoelectronic head integrating daylight and thermal imaging cameras, as well as two lasers.

Over time, the helmet-mounted display is to be replaced by an automatic system enabling target acquisition and tracking. It appears that the Syland system will require integration with early warning systems for approaching objects, but it can eliminate targets in a cost-effective manner.