Counter-UAS: Swiss Armed Forces field-test systems against mini-drones

Mini-drones are becoming a growing threat for Switzerland, too. To be prepared for the rapid development of these technologies, the Swiss Armed Forces are therefore trialling new counter-UAS systems.

Mini-drones are changing warfare. In the war in Ukraine they are used in large numbers; even commercially available models fitted with explosives can put armoured vehicles out of action.

The Swiss Armed Forces are also following this development closely. Since this summer they have been testing systems to counter mini-drones in order to strengthen their own defence capability. The field trials took place at Meiringen military airfield and Bure training area; they were conducted by the Drones and Robotics Defence Competence Centre (Komp Zen DRV).

Before any possible procurement, the systems are being examined on a small scale – with deliberate involvement of the troops. In Bure, the trial ran in July this year during the refresher course of Armoured Engineer Battalion 11 (Panzersappeurbataillon 11). Around 15 service members learned how to operate the system and then used it in an exercise with the entire battalion.

Counter-UAS by disrupting the radio link

At the core of the tested system is a vehicle-mountable antenna. It registers how drones are moving and transmits this data to a tablet. This makes it possible to locate not only the aircraft but also the positions of their pilots. Depending on the technology, the drones can either be forced to land or their radio link is disrupted – by means of jamming. In the second case, they automatically return to their launch point.

The field tests are led by Chief Warrant Officer (Stabsadjutant) Maximiliaan Vermaat: “Our goal is to gain the most important findings from the trials by the end of 2025.” Further trials are already being planned. The aim is to find the solution best suited to Switzerland and to further expand defence capability against the new threat.