National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Khlong Nueng, Pathum Thani, Thailand
Department of Telecommunication Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Rajamangala University of Technology Isan, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
This article presents a threat detection system for uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) designed to enhance operational security in high-risk environments. The system employs Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar, optimized to detect UAVs with a radar cross section (RCS) as small as 0.01 m2, exemplified by models such as the DJI Phantom 3 and Phantom 4. Operating at 2.45 GHz, the radar achieves a maximum detection range of 300 meters and is implemented on the USRP B210 Software Defined Radio (SDR) platform, with real-time signal processing enabled through GNU Radio and integrated GPU resources. The transmission module includes a 100-watt Power Amplifier (PA) and dual-parabolic unidirectional antennas, while the receiver employs a Band-Pass Filter (BPF) and a Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) with a gain of 20 dB to improve sensitivity to reflected signals. The USRP B210 handles signal acquisition and processing, applying two-dimensional Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) techniques to extract doppler shift information. The processed data is visualized as a range-doppler map, facilitating effective target tracking. The system’s modular architecture and parallel processing capability enable precise and efficient detection of low-RCS UAVs, even in cluttered environments. This work demonstrates a practical, cost-effective radar solution for security-sensitive applications, offering advantages in performance, adaptability, and real-time capability over traditional radar systems.
