The modification (P00008) to contract FA8682-16-C-0004 awarded to Raytheon Missile Systems, on June 29, 2018 for Lot 11 Miniature Air Launched Decoy vehicles and support equipment was awarded with the incorrect funding type. The correct funding is fiscal 2018 procurement funds. All other contract information is correct. “These systems consist of a satellite armed with a weapon such as an explosive charge, fragmentation device, kinetic energy weapon, laser, radio frequency weapon, jammer, or robotic arm,”
The drone detector will automatically cause the Pitbull to start jamming as soon as a signal of an incoming drone is picked up. It also weighs only 735 grams and has a range of up to 2 km. These devices will change the meaning of drone jammer and replace the big guns with portable versions.
The recent reports out of Syria highlight the inclusion of these in an evolving battlespace. One of the simplest threats to drones is the blocking or scrambling its reception of a signal from a GPS satellite. This “GPS jamming” can produce serious operational impact on military mission and will likely become more and more prevalent. According to a piece by NBC, Russians are using GPS jamming against the U.S. military’s smaller surveillance aircraft.
The effects of jamming can be dramatic. In a 2009 test, a jammer with less than a thousandth of the power of a mobile phone aboard the Trinity House vessel Galatea forced false positions to be displayed on the electronic chart and relayed by the automatic identification system to nearby shipping. In addition, satellite communications, the distress safety system and helicopter deck stabilisation failed, clocks went wrong and the ship’s radar and gyrocompass were affected too.
The telecommunications industry has long opposed jamming cell signals, saying that could interfere with legal cell users nearby. But several companies, including Verizon, A&T, Sprint and T-Mobile, agreed to join in tests of various platforms that can jam all calls or simply unauthorized ones, Stirling said.