Characterization of radio frequency emissions of counter unmanned aerial system jammers : anonymized results of the tests conducted on seven devices at JRC-Ispra in 2022

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) pose a significant safety and security threat when entering restricted airspace near critical infrastructure sites without authorization. In response, the European Union (EU) has prioritized policy actions to ensure the safe operation of Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) by law enforcement agencies. Key policy initiatives include the Action Plan to Support the Protection of Public Spaces (COM/2017/612 final), the EU Security Union Strategy (COM/2020/605 final), and the EU Counter-Terrorism Agenda (COM/2020/795 final). More recently, the Commission adopted a Communication on Countering Potential Threats Posed by Drones (COM/2023/659 final). In 2021, with the aim of supporting the development of effective C-UAS technologies, the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) established a Drone Project with a Living Lab on C-UAS technologies. In the framework of this project and following a request from EuroControl, the JRC conducted a thorough characterization of the radio frequency (RF) emissions and antenna radiation patterns of C-UAS jammers used by Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs). Since C-UAS jammers are designed to interfere with the command and control radio link and the satellite navigation payload on-board the targeted drone, this study was primarily aimed at assessing potential collateral effects on nearby wireless communications and satellite radio navigation systems. Two measurement campaigns were completed in June 2022 and October 2022, characterizing a total of seven C-UAS devices made available by the representatives of Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Sweden in the ad-hoc Expert Group on C-UAS Jammers. This report presents the results of the characterization of the RF emissions from the C-UAS jammers, which were conducted in the anechoic chambers and RF laboratories of the JRC at its Ispra Site. The characterization of the C-UAS jammers is presented in terms of their RF transmit power, power spectral density, antenna emission pattern and gain, and half-power antenna beam-widths, in all the frequency bands of operation. This study represents a crucial first step towards quantitatively assessing the potential collateral effects of the C-UAS RF emissions on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers and wireless communication systems operating in the frequency bands of the C-UAS device