PhD: Acoustic detection of unmanned aircraft systems supported by optical sensors (ACTION)

Description of the project: 

Consumer drones can pose a serious threat both in the military and civil domain. The capabilities to detect, classify and identify unmanned aircraft (< 20 kg), and subsequently take countermeasures, are, therefore, of key importance, for example, for the Netherlands Armed Forces. In this project, a multi-sensor (acoustic arrays and optics) approach will be developed, complementary to existing detection systems such as radar and RF.

The project will be carried out within the Control and Operations Department of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, together with the Netherlands Defence Academy (NLDA) and the Netherlands Armed Forces.

A large part of the research will consist of developing algorithms for rapid detection, localization and identification of the unmanned aircraft systems based on acoustic array measurements. In addition to the acoustic measurements, also the use of visual and infrared measurements will be investigated. An important component is the collection of data, acquired in dedicated field tests throughout the project, to steer algorithm development and assess their performance. The supervisors will be prof. dr. ir. Mirjam Snellen and prof. dr. Guido de Croon from the Aircraft Noise and Climate Effects section and the Micro Air Vehicle Laboratory, respectively. Additional supervision will be provided by the NLDA. Regular meetings will be held also with the Netherlands Armed Forces.