High-tech radar is to be used in the war between Ukraine and Russia to solve the drone puzzle in the northeast

Cutting-edge drone-hunting technology deployed on the battlefield in Ukraine could soon be used to solve the mystery behind a spate of unmanned flying objects reportedly spotted in the skies over New Jersey, New York and other cities in the Northeast, experts said .

New York Senator Chuck Schumer and New York Governor Kathy Hochul have asked the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to use the Robin radar system to help investigators find out who is behind the suspected drones used by residents and locals State officials say they have been flying over communities at night since mid-November.

“I want to see a bevy of Robin-like technology systems deployed throughout the New York metropolitan area, so we need the Department of Homeland Security to step up,” Schumer said in a speech on the Senate floor Monday.

Drone sightings have also been reported in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Ohio. Boston police said Sunday that two men were arrested Saturday evening after they allegedly flew a drone “dangerously close to Logan International Airport.”

What is the Robin radar system?

Kris Brost, general manager of Robin Radar USA Inc., whose parent company is based in the Netherlands, told ABC News that the development of his company’s Iris drone detection radar system stemmed from its innovation in developing radar to detect flocks of birds near airports She emerged from attacking aircraft.

Since 2014, the company has focused on developing drone detection technology to not only locate drones – officially called unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) – but also “classify small moving objects, be they Drones or rotating objects”. “, fixed-wing or if you just want to filter them out because you don’t want to see birds or big crickets,” Brost said.

Brost said the Robin radar can distinguish drones from manned aircraft, track their flight patterns in real time and send data back to a laptop computer with a 360-degree 3D view of the airspace in which the object is flying.

“Basically, a radar reflects radio waves from objects,” Brost said, adding that the Robin radar can also read a drone’s radio frequency: “There’s a sophisticated term called ‘radar cross section,’ and it really comes down to what this material is made of , how fast is it moving, what altitude is it at, etc.

Brost said the radar system has a range of about 3.1 miles and can detect objects flying at an altitude of two to three kilometers, or between one and two miles.

When combined with other technologies, the radar system can help investigators obtain remote identification of a drone, Brost said. However, Brost warned that operators could modify their drones to avoid detection, including removing the remote ID broadcast module.

“Even if someone tries to circumvent the system, we can detect them,” Brost said. “We won’t tell you where the person is flying from, but we can help you track them.”

Brost said another advantage of the company’s Robin system is that it is lightweight and mobile: “It can be installed on a police vehicle or whatever you need and used on the go.”

However, his company’s radar system cannot determine whether a drone has been used as a weapon.

“We don’t necessarily pay attention to the payload,” Brost said.

Brost said that at the request of New Jersey authorities, his company sent a team to the state on Friday to examine how best to use the Robin radar in investigating the numerous suspected nighttime drone sightings.

When asked if DHS had contacted his company, Brost could only say that he was working with the federal government.

According to a law enforcement source, the FBI and DHS have used infrared cameras and drone detection technology to ensure that the alleged drones flying over the New Jersey and New York areas are not harmful. Dozens of agencies are working every day to find answers and track down any operators who are acting “illegally or with nefarious intent,” the FBI recently said.

Agencies also look at social media and other photos to determine what exactly is in the photos. According to a law enforcement source, most of the photos and videos show manned aircraft.

In use in Ukraine

The Robin radar system was used in the war between Ukraine and Russia to help Ukrainian forces locate incoming Russian weapon drones, Brost told ABC News.

“The war in Ukraine was really a turning point for our company based on the compelling needs that it has, and certainly some of the data that we were able to collect and act on based on that environment was speculative,” Brost said. “After speaking to some of the battlefield commanders, it’s pretty compelling how important this technology is.”

On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces shot the Russian drones out of the sky, Brost said.

“Here in the states, law enforcement has their hands tied because there is nothing they can do to take a drone out of the sky, even if they think it is nefarious or nefarious,” Brost said.

The New Jersey State Police and the FBI Newark field office issued a warning Monday urging the public not to take matters into their own hands. In a statement, authorities warned of “an increase in pilots of manned aircraft being hit in the eyes with lasers because people on the ground believe they see an unmanned aircraft system.” There is also concern that people may be firing weapons at something , which they believe is a UAS, but could be a manned aircraft.”

“Public hysteria”

The FBI has received more than 5,000 tips about drone sightings in New Jersey and other states in recent weeks, according to the statement issued jointly Monday by DHS, the FBI, the FAA and the Department of Defense. Those tips led to about 100 tips, but so far the investigation has not revealed “anything unusual,” nor do the drone sightings pose a risk to national security or public safety, federal officials said.

An assessment of the alleged drone sightings determined they were combined sightings of legitimate commercial drones, hobby drones and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and stars that were falsely reported as drones, according to the joint statement.

“My suspicion is that this has become a situation where there is public hysteria, largely due to the government initially not clearly explaining what was going on and not being nuanced and not being as open about it is history,” said Stacie Pettyjohn, director of the defense program at the Center for a New American Security, a think tank in Washington, DC.

Brost said he examined images from drones flying over New Jersey.

“I saw pictures where I said, ‘Man, that looks like a dead ringer for an airplane,'” Brost said. “But I’ve seen some pretty compelling videos about something that just seems inexplicable.”