Leonardo showcased a mobile version of its Falcon Shield counter-uncrewed aerial vehicle (C-UAV) system mounted on a Mastiff protected patrol vehicle at the 2024 Defence Vehicle Dynamics (DVD2024) show, held at UTAC Millbrook in Bedfordshire on 18 and 19 September.
The overall Falcon Shield system is a rapidly deployable, scalable and modular C-UAV system, focused on smaller Class 1 and 2 UAVs, that combines a suite of radar, electro-optics and advanced radio frequency (RF) effector technology to detect, track, identify, geo-locate and mitigate UAV threats.
Although the mobile version of the system presented at DVD2024 on the Mastiff used Leonardo-sourced sensors, Mark Goodwin, head of Leonardo’s C-UAV integrated campaign team, noted at DVD2024 on 19 September that the system is completely agnostic with regard to sensors, platforms and associated effectors (the Falcon Shield on the Mastiff featured a 30 mm cannon).
Previously supplied Falcon Shield systems – which have been used to protect locations and events such as Gatwick and Heathrow airports, the G7’s 2021 summit in Cornwall, the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and this year’s Paris Olympics – have all been static systems.
As Goodwin explained of the Mastiff-based system, however, “This is a really proof of concept to move from not just only static, but to a deployable location. Also under the PV [private-venture] investment we’re looking at the wider architecture and how we can link the mobility piece back to the fixed-site air picture so you’ve got commonality across the field. We’re doing some work on microwave links and comms across vehicles, and how we can stream data across those, and that’s one of the proof-of-concepts future work that Leonardo is investing in going forwards.
Given the scalability of the Falcon Shield system, it is only really limited by the size, weight and power restrictions of a given platform. Regarding the Mastiff as a platform, Goodwin noted, “We could put a full suite of RF jamming equipment, kinetic equipment, active equipment all on that platform no problems. If it’s a smaller platform, like a Foxhound [protected patrol vehicle], then we have to try and tailor that, but generally the Mastiff is quite a big vehicle, so you can put a lot of equipment on there.”
Asked by ESD if the mobile Falcon Shield is simply an expansion of the system’s capability or is addressing a specific requirement, Goodwin replied, “It’s a bit of both. We’re expanding the flexibility so you’ve got common components being prompted from a fixed site onto a deployable platform. but also, if you want to get forward on the front line or you want to protect an area of interest, it’s giving you that point defence system out on the ground before you then arrive and set up your FOBs [forward operating bases] or your main areas.
“Basically, it’s a great situation awareness tool for seeing the whole air picture when you’re on the ground, so using the vehicles as a forward reachback to fixed-site locations,” he added.
Regarding the range of the system, it can detect a vehicle at 50 km, recognise a vehicle at 20 km, identify a vehicle at just over 15 km, detect a person at over 30 km, recognise a person at just under 10 km and identify a person at just over 5 km.
In terms of where the mobile Falcon Shield system is aimed in terms of the British Army’s overall ground-based air defence (GBAD) capabilities, Goodwin said it is “that grey space in GBAD where SHORAD [short-range air defence] systems can’t engage”.
Goodwin added that, in terms of achieving a common operational air picture, “we can push data out of the system as well, so what we’re seeing on the C2 [command and control system] we can push that up to an ATC [air traffic controller], or we can push up to a higher-level C2 … that’s in position, in a FOB or an area … so you can use this at the very tactical level, but also it can be fed up to a high-level C2.
“It just gives you that more awareness of the complexity of what’s going on,” he added, because obviously one thing we don’t want to be doing is taking out any of our own assets.”
