Drone swarm interceptors

[Daryl J.]

Are we to the point where a gun pod fitted Hawker Hurricane with modern avionics makes sense?

[GTX_Admin]

If going the route of shooting them down one by one, I would tend to go with another drone.

[Kerick]

What modern ac matches WW2 performance?

Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano Has a top speed of 370 mph, maybe a little slower than a Hurricane but should catch a drone. It comes with 2 .50cal guns and could carry pods or missiles. 
Pilatus PC-9 is very much the same.

[Daryl J.]

I didn’t even think of that airframe.  Or the Textron Wolverine

[Buzzbomb]

I would think Anti Drone systems will be evolving fast.
My thoughts that for local close in interception, you need to disrupt the drone flight, so entanglements are a low tech solution, fire a net at it. That was the thoughts that I used on the Stridsvagen 131 build
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/7a9i62ggo8iokvq3eltb0/LeoIIUpg_16.JPG?rlkey=s45hzorkl77q4b69btnpl37ue&st=19pdated&raw=1

Further development of jamming solution might be progressing. I can recall how tuning a GRC-106 HF Transmitter on a certain frequency (now lost in the years) was able to disrupt RC Aircraft of the time.

The cost exchange equation will come into play around the spend to knock them down currently would exceed the spend on the drone itself, particularly the low tech, variety. Add in the protected value of the asset that was the target, of course, changes that equation.

[Kerick]

I’m thinking that one of the problems involved in shooting them down with another ac would be finding the little buggers. Target acquisition is always a major factor. Ya gotta find em before ya can shoot em. In Ukraine one of their biggest problems using drones is that the Russians are very good at jamming the signals involved. BTW, I remember that HF trick now that you mention it. I also recall how early in the Iraq war convoy commanders would put any such equipped vehicle near the front of the convoy to use the 400 watts of power produced to hopefully set off any IEDs before the convoy reached them.
It seems an effective way to deal with them is to jam their radio control or confuse the electronics inside to get it to crash.

[Daryl J.]

So the AT-802U Sky Warden could have a variant spun off for jamming duties as perimeter protection.  Or Super Tucano, etc.

[GTX_Admin]

Looking at typical drones used in Ukraine, we have speeds/sizes ranging from 50 km/h (or less) for small FPV drones through to 110 km/h ZALA Lancet or 185 km/h for a HESA Shahed 136.

If you look at the likes of the Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano, you are dealing with a speed range of Cruise speed: 148 km/h (Stall) through to 520 km/h (cruise).  An AT-802U has 169 km/h (stall) through to 330 km/h (cruise).  Thus , if anything it is the lower range that comes into play in most cases.  As mentioned above though, the real challenge lies with target acquisition for something so small.

[Frank3k]

Russians are using some fly by wire drones, which would be harder to intercept.

Besides going after the drones, go after the higher value components - the drone pilots, ECM hardware and construction/launch sites for the Shaheds and similar.

Like this: Partisans help eliminate Russian drone unit in Donetsk Oblast

[Kerick]

It’s like chasing the V-1s back in WW2. Destroying the launch sites stopped them completely. Problem today is a launch site can be anywhere. That’s why I think jamming is a good way to go plus you can jam many of them at a time.

[GTX_Admin]

There are many options ranging from jammers through to hard kills of the drones or the operators.

[Kerick]

There appears to be at least one two seat YAK-52 being used to shoot down drones with the guy in the back seat using some sort of assault rifle to fire at them. I'm not sure how efficient that is. But you can say that every drone shot down is lives saved.

Then there is this.

https://defence-blog.com/textron-pitches-at-6-wolverine-as-drone-interceptor/

[upnorth]

To some degree, I would think the area saturation with unguided rockets like the CF-100 Canuck and F-89 Scorpion could make a comeback when it comes to dealing with drone swarms.

Everything old is new again.

[Kerick]

There is talk about using laser guided 2.75" rockets along with the machine guns.

[perttime]

There was a FPV video (on facebook?) of a Ukrainian drone chasing a Russian one - and shooting it down with a shotgun.

[elmayerle]

There appears to be at least one two seat YAK-52 being used to shoot down drones with the guy in the back seat using some sort of assault rifle to fire at them. I'm not sure how efficient that is. But you can say that every drone shot down is lives saved.

Then there is this.

https://defence-blog.com/textron-pitches-at-6-wolverine-as-drone-interceptor/

Semi-automatic shotgun under one wing, sensor and targeting turret under the other.  IIRC, the shotgun is a Taiga.

[Gingie]

Gotta kill the drone before it becomes a drone. Hit the suppliers, the bridges to the suppliers, the drone factory, the battery factory, the pilot training centres. Second last resort, hit the operators. Going one on one against a drone is my nightmare.

[Kerick]

There is at least one AN-28 flying around with a side firing minigun shooting down shahed types. Not a bad idea. It’s equipped with FLIR sensors to find the drone and same on the minigun to allow the gunner to aim it.