Drone Awareness Kit: A Quick Guide For Small Teams

Drone awareness is a perennial question topic we get in client emails. Makes perfect sense; drones are a reality in every operating environment today and that fact is not going to change. So, like everything else, we adapt along with the times. And while there's a great concentration on drone integration into the small team tactics in various ways, not nearly as much has been written about drone awareness. 

Drone Awareness Tools

Drone awareness tools can be broken down into two categories - active warning and passive interception. Active Warning tools are receive-only devices that provide an alarm when detecting a known signal type that drones use. These signatures can either be the controller frequency or the video feed returning to the operator. All of the standard drone detectors on the market work by sweeping the entirety of the spectrum. When it detects a positive signature, the device will sound an alarm and most models also vibrate, along with displaying the frequency and signature type. This comes in handy when making positive identification of drone types as well as eliminating possible false positives from our own drones. This is where having a common operating standard comes into the conversation, but that's another article for another day. 

Passive Interception tools are primarily designated for listening posts (LPs) tasked with drone monitoring but definitely also have a role in the small team at security halts. The TinySA Ultra is currently the most cost effective tool for this, monitoring entire spreads of the spectrum and giving a visual output of the signature. This tool confuses a lot of people in this role - it is not a drone detector in the same sense. The operator is physically monitoring that part of the spectrum rather than having a drone detector automate that capacity. When on the move you want a detector due to simplicity and immediacy of action. So why would you want a tool for passive interception? 

I can think of a couple reasons. First, nothing remains in stasis. As drone warfare and the technology evolves, as does the ever increasing target identification list. Second, while drone detectors in some ways can be used for geolocation (assuming they picked up the signature) its been our experience that the TinySA Ultra is far better when coupled with a yagi antenna for gaining a line of bearing. The Ukrainian Army compiled an excellent quick start users' guide for the TinySA and I still consider it the best written on the topic. 

Visual Line Of Sight / Positive Identification (LOS/PID)

Electronic interception of a drone's signal takes the lion's share of attention, mainly because its cool and there's cool guy tools involved. But do not forget about physical identification - there's been no shortage of videos from Ukraine, Burma, Indonesia, and Mexico of targeted guys on the ground reacting to visual identification of drones, whether its a surveillance or attack platform. 

I've found that thermal devices make excellent drone observation tools day or night. The batteries and motors generate heat, and while its easier to see them in the cooler months, we've had no problems spotting them during the day in the summer even at extended ranges where they were less than visible to the naked eye. Thermal yet again for the win. Don't leave the wire without it. 

Bottom Line, You Need All Three

Drones are an operational reality whether we like it or not. You don't have to like it, you just have to do it, or so its said. Realizing that becomes a challenge of maintaining the right tools for that job and in my opinion a small team requires at least one detector, one TinySA, and one thermal to satisfy the basic awareness kit. And don't forget the training in the use of each. Its as important to the small unit's survival as an IFAK.