The increased amount of threats posed by unmanned aerial systems (UAS) has confronted the Dutch Ministry of Defense with various security challenges. The use and threat of drones is increasing worldwide. The Dutch MoD, therefore, decided that it is necessary to further expand the counter-UAS capacity of its organization. In the field of combating larger UAS, the Ministry of Defense already has various air defense systems such as the Patriots and Stingers. However, these existing systems are not optimal against smaller UAS.
The Ministry of Defense had been looking for the right capacity for drones up to a maximum of 20 kilos for some time. It has now been found at the Israeli Elbit Systems. The counter-UAS systems help to defend the armed forces’ units and main weapon systems against enemy and unlawful action. They can also be used to protect vital non-military infrastructure and processes in the Netherlands.
The newly acquired systems will be deployed at all Dutch air bases and the naval port in Den Helder. Furthermore, the army’s special counter-drone unit will also have access to this latest addition to its arsenal. The system consists of special sensors to detect, classify and identify UAS. In addition, it has resources to neutralize or render harmless a drone in various ‘soft-kill’ ways, including jamming the data traffic between the UAS and the operator.
ReDrone by Elbit Systems
ReDrone provides full area protection enabled by its unique combination of detection capabilities. The SIGINT passive detection subsystem, based on fast wideband receivers, detects all types of commercial drone communications, separates them from WiFi signals, identifies them, and alerts the operator. The passive subsystem provides detection and DOA or location. Multiple 2D or 3D radars provide active detection & location, usually used for extended ranges, while the acoustic subsystem detects acoustic events in the perimeter area and the VISINT optical subsystem points the investigating camera in the drone’s direction. In addition, external sensors can be supplied by customers as CFEs and integrated via the C2 interfaces.
Designed for military, paramilitary, HLS, and civilian uses, ReDrone enables the end-to-end defense of borders, airports, seaports, strategic facilities, public events, landmarks, prisons, military bases, and military or VIP convoys and motorcades. ReDrone provides complete, multi-layered, multi-mission, and operationally-proven protection against the full spectrum of UAS threats across a wide range of scenarios. A unique set of seamlessly-integrated countermeasures detects, identifies, classifies, locates, tracks, neutralizes, manipulates, and defeats multiple threats simultaneously, in urban and rural environments, day and night, and in all weather conditions.
Modular, flexible, and scalable, ReDrone can be precisely tailored to customer needs. The system is easily integrated with any architecture and can be installed on a variety of configurations – including mobile, stationary, portable, transportable, or fixed. Requiring no special skills, ReDrone can be installed in less than 20 minutes by a single person.
For more information regarding the counter-drone system by Elbit, please consult the following website
