SignificanceIn recent years, there has been a significant proliferation of "low-slow-small" targets (LSS) represented by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are extensively utilized in industries such as film and television aerial photography, low-altitude logistics, security monitoring, and aerial surveying. However, owing to their easily accessible, controllable and concealable characteristics, micro-drones are susceptible to exploitation by hostile forces for illegal activities like reconnaissance and sabotage that pose serious risks to confidentiality and security for both military and civilian sectors. Furthermore, the LSS represented by UAVs have demonstrated their substantial combat capabilities in modern warfare while representing the development trend of future information warfare. However, existing defense systems and operational equipment continue to confront numerous technological challenges pertaining to effective detection and discovery mechanisms, intelligent information fusion techniques, reliable defense and interception capabilities, as well as system platform integration issues. In practical applications though, problems such as varying degrees of standardization across different contexts exist alongside inadequate operational capabilities under complex environmental conditions and unreliable regular usage.
ProgressFirstly, based on the analysis of the characteristics associated with LSS, a fundamental approach for detection and disposal is proposed. In terms of detection requirements, it is essential to design systems that address three specific characteristics of low-altitude/ultra-low-altitude flights, slow speeds, and weak infrared radiation characteristics/small radar cross-sections. Regarding disposal strategies, effective communication interference should be implemented based on the target's data link traits and navigation methods. Additionally, the physical attributes of LSS should guide the design of interception and destructive measures. Subsequently, this study addresses the development of a robust target defense and control system architecture with emphasis on LSS. Operational procedures are also designed to ensure efficient execution. During operations, the detection system provides real-time target information including position, motion characteristics, electromagnetic spectrum data, and other relevant details for multiple targets within the defense zone through multimodal information fusion. This enables the creation of a comprehensive situational awareness map for effective defense and control. Target classification and identification are performed using advanced feature extraction and classification methods. The command system then prioritizes target threats based on three-dimensional situational analysis in conjunction with current contextual information to issue appropriate disposal orders according to allocation principles. Finally, selected disposal methods are implemented to effectively address the identified targets while completing the operational loop of OODA (observe, orient, decide, act). Lastly, this paper proposes the key trends in the development of LSS defense and control. The construction of such systems requires addressing key issues and implementing development strategies including standardization, normalization, and cost-effectiveness.
Conclusions and ProspectsAmong these strategies, optical detection emerges as a significant passive method with promising application prospects for future low-altitude detection tasks focused on urban warfare. It offers advantages such as all-weather capability, visualization, high precision, and strong anti-jamming capabilities to overcome challenges related to target discovery and identification. The increasingly complex battlefield environment and evolving advanced operational modes like UAV swarms impose new technological requirements on optical detection. On one hand, integrating optical detection into early warning systems can leverage its advantages through comprehensive coordination of airspace management, platform deployment optimization, spectrum utilization efficiency enhancement, and information perception improvement to enhance overall operational efficiency. On the other hand, optical detection should address the challenges associated with large field-of-view coverage, detection at high resolutions, multi-target tracking, and positioning capabilities while also enhancing intelligent identification performance. It should also expand optical information perception dimensions, such as polarization analysis and multispectral imaging, to provide robust support in addressing low-altitude detection challenges. As drone technology continues to advance, the defense and control of LSS represented by drones emerge as crucial areas and technical challenges in the future development of low-altitude defense. The consensus is to develop an integrated defense and control system that encompasses agile command, composite detection, and multimodal disposal. However, due to the unique characteristics of LSS and their diverse operational scenarios, existing technological means are insufficient in fundamentally addressing the issues related to detection and disposal. Therefore, it is imperative to gradually enhance the construction of the LSS defense and control system through continuous testing and utilization while summarizing relevant experiences. This iterative process will provide valuable feedback for optimizing the existing defense mechanisms in order to effectively safeguard LSS.
