FN Herstal’s deFNder Family of Remote Weapon Stations (RWSs) has been tested for countering Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) during the NATO Non-Lethal Technology Exercise (NNTEX-C) in Sardinia, Italy.
The exercise was dedicated to the evaluation of current technologies against Low, Slow and Small (LSS) targets. The different systems were evaluated based on factors including efficiency, collateral damage and ergonomics.
For this purpose, FN Herstal developed a container-based perimeter defense solution incorporating a range of sensors (radio frequency sensors and radars) with a combination of both soft and hard effectors. The overall system was operated by two operators protected inside the container.
The FN Herstal perimeter defense system aims to give an increased situational awareness while providing a safe environment for the crew. The sensors enable early detection and provide operators and commanders with the localization of the detected targets on a 2D situational awareness map, which enhances the mission-critical decision-making process and allows a quick response. Once a target is detected, the operators have the capacity to select the threat to initiate the neutralization process.
As an escalation of force feature, the soft effector setup includes a smart and scalable signal jammer that can be used as a first response against UAS to disable the link between the drone and its operator before resorting to live-firing.
Regarding the hard effector, the setup includes one deFNder Light RWS, which can be fitted with the FN MINIMI 5.56 or 7.62 or FN MAG 7.62mm calibre, and one deFNder Medium, which can be fitted with the FN MAG 7.62mm, .50 calibre weapons such as the FN M2HB-QCB or FN M3R, or a 40mm Automatic Grenade Launcher with airburst capacity.
The overall system provides advanced functionalities to assist the operator in threat detection and engagement, including:
- Target tracking based on multiple sensor feedback
- Collateral damage mitigation with ready-to-fire indicators
- Automatic detection through video stream (Day and InfraRed)
- Improved fire control for air targeting
Using FN Herstal’s deFNder Net technology, the system offers full networking capability for information distribution and sharing from every sensor to any operator, to own and external C2 systems.
