MyDefence adds WideBand Extended Frequency antenna to Wingman UAS detector

MyDefence Wideband Extended Frequency antenna for its UAS detection systems. (MyDefence)

Denmark's MyDefence is adding its new WideBand Extended Frequency (XF) antenna and detection software to its wearable unmanned aircraft system (UAS) detector Wingman as part of an upgrade based on feedback from the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), the company's CEO Dan Hermansen told Janes in an interview on 7 October.

The antenna has a range of 200 MHz–6 GHz without any gaps in frequency coverage, according to Hermansen. “We can scan the whole frequency spectrum,” he added. It is compatible with Wingman WM100, WM103, WM104, and WM105. It integrates with the Android Tactical Awareness Kit (ATAK), and signals across the spectrum are flagged with the operator.

When the company began delivering its small handheld radio frequency (RF) detector called Wingman to Ukraine in 2019, the technology was able to detect UASs in the industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) bands including 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz and later 5.2 GHz. The company quickly realised that Russian forces were operating in non-standard frequencies, and that they needed to make more agile protocols. “We have adapted towards that [goal of full-frequency scanning] since that time,” Hermansen said.

The software includes MyDefence's custom UAS library, which enables soldiers to add new types of UASs into the system. A recording is made of the communications between the UAS and the pilot. An analysis tool is then used to “read” the recording and create a new signal type for the library, according to Hermansen.