DCM Shriram manufactures Skylock's CUAS for Indian market

DCM Shriram CUAS at Drone International Expo 2023. Pictured are the RF detector and jammer. (Janes/Akshara Parakala)

Israeli Avnon Group's Skylock has partnered with India's DCM Shriram Industries Ltd to manufacture the former's VIP Dome Pro under the name DCM portable counter-unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV) system.

The venture is aimed at the Indian market, a DCM Shriram official told Janes at the 4th Drone International Expo 2023 held in New Delhi from 26 to 27 July.

Manufacturing work started in 2022, and DCM Shriram is in the process of testing the system's radio frequency (RF) detector and jammer, with a software-defined radio frequency range of between 70 MHz and 6 GHz, with the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) on the western front.

The DCM counter-unmanned aerial system (CUAS) has ethernet-based automatic detection, tracking, identification, and neutralisation capabilities for day and night operations. The CUAS has a military grade design with shell protection level IP67 and IP66 and technology readiness level (TRL)-9.

The system's RF detector is fully passive and capable of sensing the controller and the UAV, even when the UAV is on the ground. It is also fitted with a direction-finding sensor for Wi-Fi frequencies with up to 5° root mean square (RMS) accuracy. The system requires three or more RF detectors to track the operators' geographical co-ordinates.

The 9.5 kg DCM RF detector measures 0.32×0.29 m, has an azimuth coverage of 360°, and an elevation coverage of ±90° with 70 dB dynamic range. The RF detector offers a scanning frequency resolution of <100 Hz.