by TacOps, Survival Blog:
(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)
Current Anti-Drone Applications
As drones have continued to threaten civilian and government spaces, different groups have taken various approaches to down drones in their airspace. Both Ukraine and Russia have adopted a ballistic solution. Using cheap, Turkish-made shotguns has allowed them to supply mass Infantry units with counter-drone capabilities. They have found that #4 buckshot from a 12-gauge shotgun has had the most effectiveness against small drones – the ones dismounted Soldiers are most likely to encounter. However, 12-gauge shotguns have a maximum effective range of only fifty meters.
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Shotguns have benefits and drawbacks. On the one hand, this is a relatively cheap and sustainable way to down small drones. Soldiers are easily trained – in mass – to shoot down moving targets. Finally, shotguns are extremely versatile weapons. Equipping Soldiers with buckshot and breaching slugs allows them to down drones, quickly clear trenches, and breach doors with high rates of success.
On the other hand, shotguns can be notoriously difficult to predict. A well-trained shotgunner knows how far his or her shotshell will spread at various distances, as well as penetration of various materials at each distance. Cheap ammunition, especially in a shotgun that does not contain a choke, will spread much more and be more unpredictable than quality ammunition out of a quality shotgun. During the First World War, ground troops were trained to shoot at aerial targets as the use of military aircraft increased. This sometimes resulted in bullets impacting friendly ground troops within the line of fire. As the risks of friendly fire casualties are unacceptably high in an urban environment, many militaries have opted not to use shotguns.
The Ukrainian and Russian militaries are severely impacted by drones, so their commanders have decided that it is worth the risk to employ shotguns. The Russian military has even employed ground-based anti-aircraft shotgun stations. With this piece of equipment, multiple shotgun barrels are fused together, similar to an anti-aircraft gun, and used to down larger drones that circulate overhead. This is consistent with Russian military tradition, in which the ability to hurt its enemy takes priority over the risk to its own Soldiers.
The U.S. Military uses electronic means to down drones. Stationary equipment, such as the DroneDefender can disable drones from two kilometers away – in every direction. For mobile assets, such as mounted patrols, the Dronebuster and Droneshoot 800 allow Soldiers to electronically engage drones from over a kilometer away. This is a significant capability that the U.S. Military has that most other militaries do not have. While this negates the risk of friendly fire to ground troops, this is an extremely expensive solution. Dronebusters start at $30,000; therefore, few units have an “off-the-shelf” budget to obtain them. This leaves the majority of platoons and companies defenseless against drones, while the Battalion and Brigade CPs might be protected – if they planned ahead.
Israel’s Iron Dome is a mix of the two. It integrates both kinetic solutions (anti-aircraft guns and ground-to-air missiles) with electronic solutions (radar detection, microwave beams, jamming, and spoofing signals to create false targets). This has resulted in a dramatically successful defense against multiple drone attacks, most recently against Iran’s drone barrage in 2024. However, some of these missiles and anti-aircraft munitions impact past the drone targets and kill civilians.
American prisons have opted to use shotguns with net rounds. The nets spread out upon exit from the 12-gauge barrel, ultimately wrapping around a drone that is trying to drop contraband into a jail or prison. This is another cheap solution, but the nets have limited effectiveness. They do not spread all the way, and wind has a large impact on the net as it flies towards the target. The best way to employ these net rounds is to shoot directly up, into the air. They have a maximum effective range of only thirty meters – limiting them to only close encounters with contraband-smuggling drones.
Finally, some European nations have taken to using birds of prey to secure sensitive areas, such as sports stadiums. Though the use of counter-drone hawks is limited due to large amounts of time and money to train these birds of prey, it is especially useful to secure areas that are full of civilians. This also has the benefit of entertaining the crowd whilst securing the airspace of a protected area.
TEOTWAWKI Preparations
Preppers would face two main threats from drones in the event of a severe disaster: reconnaissance and aerial attacks. Criminals already use drones to reconnoiter targets of possible crimes; they absolutely can use them to scope out you and your family. Such reconnaissance would be to identify you, determine which resources you have available for the taking, and assess how much of a threat you are. This can also be used to determine your routine – and, therefore, the best time and method of attack. Reconnaissance can also be conducted by paranoid groups, which may expect you to attack them. It is, therefore, paramount to avoid detection in order to avoid dangerous confrontations.
The first way to avoid drone reconnaissance is to use camouflage. The same underlying foundation of camouflaging yourself against ground assets also applies against air assets: the more closely you resemble your background, the harder it is for a reconnaissance asset to identify you.
The vast majority of people who have drones only have a daytime camera. Therefore, there is little risk while moving at night. Daytime movements are inherently more risky. The focus for these cameras is camouflaging large targets, such as structures and vehicles. While it is difficult to hide a whole building, you can make it appear like an undesirable target. This can be accomplished by either making the building seem like an impenetrable fortress, or like a dilapidated structure that is not worth attacking. Since most threats will be from small bands of individuals, I recommend focusing on hardening your buildings and making them appear inaccessible to all but the strongest invading forces. This can be coupled with hiding resources within the buildings or underground, as well as shading windows to mask movement within the buildings.
When moving, the night is your friend. Any attackers are very unlikely to use drones for reconnaissance during low-visibility hours because they are significantly more likely to crash. In addition, the ability to glean some sort of information is severely limited. The risk is too high, and the reward is too low.
If you have to move during the daytime, then there are several things you can do to mask your movements from drone reconnaissance. To prevent identification, you must first stay in an area where it is hard to identify you. For this reason, open areas are dangerous. Highly trafficked areas such as roads and natural lines of drift are dangerous. If you have to move, then stay in the woodline. Once you have identified a drone flying around you, find some concealment and stop moving. This is especially true while in a vehicle. Movement draws attention, especially when it is a large object, such as a vehicle. In addition, moving vehicles also emit a larger heat signature and can throw dust in the air.
Camouflage will allow you to stay hidden for longer periods. Vehicles can be outfitted with camouflage nets, which will be supplemented with debris from the actual environment you are moving in. When they are parked, use an opaque covering constructed with similar colors and textures to that environment. For example, a tarp painted forest green with brush glued on in uneven patterns will effectively conceal a vehicle from all but the most attentive drone operators.
While it is unlikely that attackers will have anything more expensive than a standard daytime camera, thermal cameras, and electromagnetic sensors are slowly becoming more accessible. If you are in an area where these are commonly present in drones, then you will have to mask thermal and electronic signals. This includes heat patterns found in human beings, animals, and vehicles. Therefore, blankets and other coverings that insulate well can mask your thermal signature. The most effective concealment from thermal cameras are natural materials and terrain. Staying low to the ground allows you to remain hidden for extended periods of time. In addition, using materials that are sourced from that environment – such as dirt piles, masses of leaves, and tree bark – can mask heat signatures.
