Germany's Rheinmetall, Telecom plan drone defence shield

German defence manufacturer Rheinmetall and telecoms provider Deutsche Telekom announced joint plans on Monday to develop a defence shield against hostile drones and cyberattacks.

The project is still at an early stage.

The aim is to detect drones early on and stop them, through the use of jamming signals, interceptor drones or even lasers. This could be used at power plants, industrial facilities, bridges and other critical infrastructure. Anti-aircraft guns are not part of the project.

Telekom is to contribute its expertise in mobile networks and other digital applications, while Rheinmetall is responsible for sensors and effectors, or lasers.

Rheinmetall chief executive Armin Papperger said the threat posed by drones was "highly digital". Countering it required a combination of sensors, effectors and secure communication networks, he said, adding: "Rheinmetall and Deutsche Telekom are pooling precisely these capabilities." 

Telekom chief executive Tim Höttges pointed to his company's expertise in connectivity, cloud and data analytics, which he said would take drone defence "to a new level." 

"Together with Rheinmetall, we are strengthening sovereignty and helping to alleviate public concerns,” Höttges added.

So far, most drones flying over Germany have been controlled remotely by pilots via a radio frequency (RF) signal. These signals can be detected using RF sensors. Telekom uses passive RF sensors that do not emit an active search signal. One advantage of this approach is that when attached to radio masts, they do not interfere with mobile communications technology.

Rheinmetall not only manufactures its own drones but also has experience in combating and intercepting hostile drones, drawing on specialist sensor technologies.

This has not just military uses but also applies to the protection of civilian areas. Late last year, the arms manufacturer entered into a partnership with police and port authorities in the city of Hamburg to address potential drone threats.

Germany's mobile networks are improving and coverage is expanding, with the side effect that drones can now be controlled over long distances via mobile networks, rather than by a remote control within line of sight, meaning they can be operated from anywhere via the internet.

This presents companies and authorities with a new challenge. Telekom is researching with Hamburg's University of the Federal Armed Forces on detecting such drones.

The mobile network itself is being used as a form of radar to identify anomalies in data traffic, enabling early detection of such drones. This is also to be incorporated into the joint Telekom-Rheinmetall project.