The Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) deployed a team from its National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) to a federal test facility last month to assess the latest Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) technologies with law enforcement partners.
The field test gave participating first responders an opportunity to evaluate C-UAS system capabilities and consider how such technologies may support their operational needs. Over the last several years, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) have increasingly shaped both strategic and tactical environments, and as they become more accessible and widely used, their potential implications for homeland security have grown.
"We're leading this C-UAS assessment, specifically looking at the mitigation aspects of these products," said NUSTL Director Alice Hong. "If first responders are going to deploy a technology, we'll test it under operational conditions to ensure that it's suitable for their operations."
The assessment is part of S&T's broader effort to provide first responders with objective, operationally relevant information about commercially available technologies. S&T's System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) program provides independent and unbiased test and evaluation of technology and equipment that first responders can purchase on the commercial market.
SAVER reports include final testing results, guidance on how to use the information provided, and how to understand the test methods implemented during the assessments. Over the course of the week-long assessment, responders put the systems to the test against several drones.