US armed forces at using the Dronebuster portable counter drone device supplied by Flex Force Enterprises to defend Al Dhafra Air Base from threats posed by Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) according to news reports published by UAS Vision, dvdshub and Defence-blog.
Specialists with the 380th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron (SFS) are responsible for security at the base where counter-UAS responsibilities are a growing part of the Security Forces career field. Defenders at Al Dhafra Air Base engage in plenty of on-the-job training to ensure the base is secure from threats, supported by several UAS devices owned by SFS for training exercises.
Dronebuster allows the user to interdict a drone approaching a Forward Operating Base, hovering over a large crowd, snooping into secure/private areas, or flying in restricted airspace. With the Dronebuster, the operator can disrupt the drone command link by aiming the Dronebuster at the drone and pulling the trigger, causing the drone to descend or go home.
“Our mission is to detect and defeat all UAS threats,” explained Master Sgt. Manuel Santiago, counter-UAS non-commissioned officer in charge with the squadron. “We have a variety of sensors and other devices that we monitor for potential threats and, of course, we always count on our Airmen around the Wing to be vigilant and report anything unusual.”
Santiago said while the C-UAS mission is a relatively new one for Security Forces – the responsibility was first assigned to SFS in 2018 – it is an important one. “Keeping our Airmen safe and our base and our assets safe, is the focus. C-UAS is a new tool to get that done,” he said.
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