Technology for the detection of airborne intruders approaching the high-security, high-value asset

There is growing interest in the United States in the protection of high value assets from aircraft intrusion. Aircraft technology has improved Helicopters can serve as an intruder transport, a highly mobile weapon platform, and an escape vehicle after an intrusion has been committed. The helicopter can also serve as a transport for a high value material asset that may be stolen. Fixed wing aircraft are also a threat. The suicide mission to destroy an asset or generate adverse publicity is credible. If there is sufficient runway, the fixed wing aircraft can serve as a transport of intruders into a protected site, an intruder escape vehicle, or a transport for a stolen high value asset. The runway for a short take off and landing (STOL) aircraft used as intrusion vehicle can be any cleared area, including roadways only 100 meters in length with obstructions 20 meters high at the end. There may be existing, in place aircraft detection sensors near most sites that can be used to detect an aircraft´s presence and provide early warning. If not, there is another family of sensors that can detect, track, and classify detected aircraft as fixed wing or helicopter. This second class of sensor can be installed if high resolution tracking of a target is required. The paper discusses the principles of aircraft detection, reviews some of the technology presently on the market for aircraft detection, and presents test data to show the ranges at which aircraft can be detected by these types of sensors