SPECIAL MULTI-SENSOR CAPABILITY

Drone Detection & Localization

A coordinated RF approach to detecting relevant emissions, correlating observations and determining position where the signal environment and sensor geometry permit.

Drones are not one radio problem. Depending on platform and operating mode, relevant RF activity may involve command-and-control links, telemetry, video/data links, Wi‑Fi or other digital radio emissions. Kostet's architecture can combine complementary sensing methods instead of relying on a single detector.

Possible detection chain

• Discover: IRIS II monitors selected spectrum continuously and detects RF activity without tying core acquisition performance to the user interface.
• Characterize: DSP and analysis functions extract signal properties, classifications and recordings for further examination.
• Observe: TraceGuard can correlate compatible passive radio observations and target histories across distributed collectors.
• Correlate: The developing analysis layer combines time, frequency, identity, signal and geographical evidence from several sources.
• Locate: Distributed synchronized SDR sensors can provide TDOA measurements; DF observations can also be fused when suitable sensors are available.

Drone and controller localization

Where a usable emission is present, geographically separated sensors can observe the same signal. GNSS-referenced sample timing allows time-difference-of-arrival estimation and hyperbolic localization. Direction-finding observations can be used independently or fused with TDOA. The resulting position should always retain uncertainty, sensor geometry and confidence rather than presenting false precision.

Why combine systems?

A spectrum detector can tell an operator that something appeared. A protocol-aware sensor may add identity or behavioural evidence. A synchronized sensor network can add geometry. Combined analysis can then answer a more useful set of questions: what was detected, when did it appear, which observations belong together, where is the likely transmitter, and how strong is the evidence?

No RF-only system can guarantee detection of every drone: autonomous operation, unusual waveforms, low-probability-of-intercept links or radio-silent segments require different sensing methods. The Kostet approach is therefore modular and evidence-driven, designed to integrate additional sensor types rather than overstate a single detection technique.