Colombia tests its first anti-drone mesh system

Colombian soldiers erect a counter-unmanned aircraft systems net. (Erich Saumeth Cadavid)

The Colombian National Army has begun technical and operational testing of a passive unmanned aircraft system (UAS) neutralization system based on an anti-drone network design, developed locally and adapted to the conditions of the Catatumbo theatre of operations, according to a regulatory document and photographs obtained by Janes .

These tests run through Task Force Vulcano, an organic unit of the Fifth Division, are a response to the evolving UAS threat in the Colombian internal conflict.

Insurgent groups such as the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional) have increasingly modified commercial drones for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations, and increasingly, for attacks against fixed positions, tactical bases, and troop concentrations. The military estimates that these have resulted in the deaths of 23 army soldiers, one marine, and 28 police officers, Camilo Mendoza, author of a book on drone use in Colombia, told Janes .

The system being evaluated is based on a doctrinal manual called ‘UAS Control Network', conceived as a technical and operational guide for the use of low-altitude physical air interdiction barriers, integrated within a broader counter-UAS (C-UAS) defence scheme. The manual establishes criteria for the tactical deployment of anti-drone networks; parameters for height, tension, and coverage according to the type of threat; and procedures for system assembly, maintenance, and recovery.

The doctrine prioritises passive solutions that are low-cost, quick to install, and have a minimal electromagnetic footprint, especially useful in environments where the use of electronic warfare jamming may be limited by topographic, climatic, or logistical factors.