Small Unmanned Aerial System Adversary Capabilities

It is difficult to detect, identify, classify, andynefarious small unmanned aerial systems (sUASs) weighing less than 55 lbs, particularly in environments with high levels of sensory clutter, such as urban areas. As the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) prepares for potential threats from s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Policy File 2020
Main Authors: Wilson, Bradley, Tierney, Shane, Toland, Brendan, Burns, Rachel M, Steiner, Colby Peyton, Adams, Christopher Scott, Nixon, Michael, Khan, Raza, Ziegler, Michelle D, Osburg, Jan, Chang, Ike
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
National security
RAND Corporation
Science/Technology
Online Access:Request full text
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Summary:It is difficult to detect, identify, classify, andynefarious small unmanned aerial systems (sUASs) weighing less than 55 lbs, particularly in environments with high levels of sensory clutter, such as urban areas. As the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) prepares for potential threats from sUASs, it will need to know the types of threat scenarios in which these systems could be used, which design elements are likely to be exploited by a nefarious actor, and which technologies and capabilities may be available in the near future to either threaten public safety or facilitate DHS efforts to counter such activities. To support the department's efforts to identify where it should prioritize investments in counter-UAS capabilities, this report examines trends in sUAS development, the features that are likely to aid nefarious users, and how such actors could use an sUAS (or multiple systems) to conduct various types of operationssurveilling U.S. government facilities to dispersing a chemical agent at a large public event. Overall, the commercial sUAS market has been moving toward smaller, lighter, and more-difficult-to-detect systems. There have also been notable increases in speed, range, and endurance and decreases in acoustic signatures. Certain sUAS models have adequate payload capacity to carry a significant amount of explosive material or illicit goods. All these trends could benefit nefarious actorschallenge DHS efforts to counter them.