The rapid development of unmanned miniature flight systems is accelerating the exponential growth of the commercial sector and builds an asymmetric threat situation as a potential means of attack against a background of inefficient countermeasures. Current technology forecasts indicate that in the next evolutionary step, flight systems will offer even more functionalities, especially regarding their autonomy. Considering the increasing change in the security policy threat situation, it is of crucial importance to adapt the threat scenarios by considering unmanned air systems as potential means of attack.
In this context, the detection, tracking and countering of drones is an important task of public security. Particularly in urban areas with their impressive skylines, tall buildings obstruct the observer's line of sight to the drone and make it difficult to detect it, thus confronting existing concepts with their potentials and limitations.
The main objectives of SCALA are
(i) the research and development of an optimized technology to counter the threat situation by drones in urban areas by using a large-scale distributed multi-modal sensor network, considering existing available urban infrastructure,
(ii) an evaluation of the technology based on officially relevant urban scenarios and
(iii) recommendations for the regulatory authority.
Project Manager / Name und Institute/Company
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Center for Vision, Automation and Control
Other project partners:
- JOANNEUM RESEARCH (JR)
- A1 Telekom Austria (A1)
- INRAS (INR)
- Austria Institut für Europa- und Sicherheitspolitik (AIES)
- Bundesministerium für Landesverteidigung (BMLV)
- Bundesministerium für Inneres (BMI)
- Bundesministerium für Justiz (BMJ)
- Bundesministerium für Klimaschutz, Umwelt, Energie, Mobilität, Innovation und Technologie (BMK)
Name of project manager
DI Christoph Sulzbachner, MSc
Senior Research Engineer
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH
Center for Vision, Automation and Control
Giefinggasse 4, 1210 Wien
Tel.: +43 50550-4177
e-Mail: christoph.sulzbachner(at)ait.ac.at
Homepage: https://www.ait.ac.at/themen/assistive-autonomous-systems/