Germany's Alpine Eagle tested Sentinel C-UAS in Ukraine

Alpine Eagle's Sentinel UAS with the radar payload. (Alpine Eagle )

German defence technology startup Alpine Eagle's counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) Sentinel Airborne has been used for operational trials with the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), the company's commercial director Michael Golden confirmed to Janes in an interview on 31 July.

Golden said the company plans to continue working with the AFU in the future, without going into more details due to sensitivity around the subject.

The Sentinel Airborne C-UAS detects and identifies an enemy UAS and then sends a Sentinel interceptor UAS to destroy it. The Sentinel hardware platform operates from both fixed- and rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The company said it works with different UAVs as part of its supply chain but focuses on a “software first approach”, which involves developing the capability of the system, sensors, and integration. “When we are working with other countries with a preference on a manufacturer or a partnership with existing systems, we're also able to work with that relatively easily,” Golden said.

Radars

The Sentinel fixed-wing platform has a sensor suite with electro-optical and acoustic radars, he added. According to information provided to Janes by the company, the radar payload is capable of detecting Class 1 UASs including first-person view (FPV) UAVs and loitering munitions within a 4 km range. This also includes detecting a 250 g UAV at “a sufficient distance to be able to action and intercept”, Golden said. The system's radar capabilities have been given a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 8 certification.