Get a glimpse of the game-changing ASSYDUS project by the French Ministry of Defence. The project propels defence technology into new heights with the innovative use of drone swarms to mislead enemy radars.
ASSYDUS: Redefining Air Defence Systems
This pioneering project is being spearheaded by the Agency for Defence Innovation (AID), Thales DMS France SAS, and Bordeaux Research Laboratory in Computer Science (LaBRI). The primary objective of ASSYDUS involves crafting a convincing radar equivalent surface (SER) of a combat aircraft or drone by positioning a swarm of drones strategically.
The Strategy at Play
Drone swarms are used to extend the system's airborne capabilities. Multiple collaborative drones are perceived as a single entity due to their decision-making autonomy. These drones are placed and manoeuvred skilfully to mimic the SER of either a combat aircraft or a drone, with the intention of deceiving enemy air defence systems.
Progress and Achievements
Initial studies used autonomous multi-rotor drones and have yielded promising results. Teams have successfully achieved the desired SER. The final SER model is contingent on the types of drones used in the swarm and their respective positions. All components have been tested in flight, with the full processing chain validated and results confirmed in real time.
Potential Applications
-
Drones could be dispatched separately towards the air defence system and then assembled into a swarm to mimic the SER of a fighter-bomber.
Comparisons with Previous Experiments
Notably, the ASSYDUS project parallels an experiment conducted in 2020 by the Royal Air Force's Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO). This experiment also used swarms of drones, some of which were equipped with the BriteCloud electronic warfare module. This module is designed to deceive and saturate representative radars of enemy air defence systems. The BriteCloud system works by recording radio-electric signals, modifying them, and retransmitting them. This results in distorted data being received by the radar, thereby deceiving the enemy's defence system.