Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems for the Navy and Marine Corps: Future Hardware Development Needs

NPS NRP Executive Summary Counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) technology enables detection, location, and interception of adversarial unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Use of C-UAS is not only contingent on available technology and the technology of the threat itself, but also the use-case geopolitical operational environment. The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are tasked with providing global C-UAS defense for a multitude of mission facets to include fixed installations, forward operating bases, maritime assets, and mobile ground elements. In this context, C-UAS coordination and integration is essential to the Navy and Marine Corps’ amphibious and expeditionary warfare doctrine. This work addresses the future hardware and interoperability acquisition needs for the Navy and Marine Corps C-UAS kill chains based on existent and emerging C-UAS and UAS technologies, as well was as use per areas of responsibility (AOR) during active and non-active conflicts. It applies a systems engineering approach to model C-UAS effectiveness against current and emerging threats, e.g., 5G-enabled UAS. We focus on threats imposed by smaller, handheld, commercial UASs. This work demonstrates that current C-UAS approaches and techniques will be asymmetrically ineffective against the variegated UAS threat domain and points to a necessity for interoperability among DoD-procured C-UAS to enable mission effectiveness even under current threats. This work informs and supports future requirements and concepts of operations for the Department of the Navy C-UAS and interoperability for Navy and Marine Corps C-UAS operations. Marine Corps Forces Command (COMMARFORCOM) This research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrp Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.