Industry
Protecting plants and warehouses from UAVs: engineering and active defence
A plant or warehouse is harder to protect than it looks: a large roof, constant vehicle movement, several shifts and live equipment. A drone can observe, drop a payload or guide a strike. The system has to work without stopping production.
Contents
How does a plant differ from a perimeter?Three scenariosPassive roof and window protectionActive protection and electromagnetic compatibilityDeploy without stopping productionPerformance criteriaAn industrial facility rarely has one clear boundary. A warehouse, a production building, a parking lot, a railway line and an administrative area live in different modes. The drone may appear above the roof, from the side of the road or from behind a neighboring building - and the system must take this into account.
How does a plant differ from a perimeter?
- Roof Large area and equipment that is visible from above.
- Logistics Constant movement of machines and people - false targets and restrictions on use.
- Shifts There are fewer staff at night, but the facility continues to operate.
- Electromagnetic background Frequency drives, welding, communications - interference for detectors.
- Liability Stopping production costs more than equipment.
Three scenarios
The first is reconnaissance: the drone films the site and leaves. The second is the release of a load or incendiary element. The third is an FPV strike on a specific object. Each scenario requires different sensors and different rules: in some cases it is enough to detect and scare away, in others physical impact is required.
Passive roof and window protection
Nets, screens and protective glazing reduce the likelihood of specific areas being affected. They are cheap and do not cause interference, but do not stop exploration and do not cover the entire roof. Passive means should be considered together with active ones, and not instead of them.
Active protection and electromagnetic compatibility
Radio jamming in a factory can affect communications, sensors and automation. Therefore, frequency windows, directivity and exclusion zones are calculated before deployment. If RF jamming is incompatible with production, the bet is on optics, laser and interception.
Laser exposure requires line of sight and safety zones. At a site with people and vehicles, this limits its use, but does not eliminate it: the laser works on a confirmed target in the air, and not on an area.
Deploy without stopping production
- Inspection and 3D model without stopping the workshops.
- Installation of supports and cable routes in night windows.
- First detection, then means of influence.
- Commissioning on real scenarios, not just on a demo drone.
- Trial operation with false alarm log.
Performance criteria
- Probability of detection at the approaches to the roof.
- Number of false alarms per shift.
- Time from discovery to resolution.
- Cost of one impact.
- System availability and recovery time.
- Safety of production during an alarm.
