EDM4S SkyWiper | |
---|---|
Type | Portable anti-drone weapon |
Place of origin | Lithuania |
Service history | |
In service | 2021–present |
Used by | Lithuanian Armed Forces Ukrainian Armed Forces Romanian Armed Forces |
Wars | Russo-Ukrainian War |
Production history | |
Designer | NT Service UAB |
Designed | c. 2018 |
Unit cost | around $15,000 |
Variants | EDM4S-UA Skylock Skybeam |
Specifications | |
Mass | 5.5 kg (12 lb) |
Length | 1,050 mm (41 in) |
Width | 220 mm (8.7 in) |
Height | 360 mm (14 in) |
Effective firing range | 3–5 km (1.9–3.1 mi) |
The EDM4S or EDM4S SkyWiper (Electronic Drone Mitigation 4 - System), is a portable electronic warfare anti-drone device produced and developed by the Lithuanian company NT Service [1] It is designed to disrupt small and medium sized UAVs by jamming their communication and satellite navigation systems with an electromagnetic pulse. [2] [3]
The device was first shown by the company NT Service (based in Kaunas, Lithuania) in the 2019 Security and Counter Terror Exhibition in London. [1] In partnership with Israeli company Skylock, NT Service also produces the system under the name "Skybeam". [4]
The device can be carried by one person. The operator points the device at the UAV and activates it to disrupt the UAV's communications out to a range of 3–5 km (2–3 mi), as well as its satellite navigation capabilities. Depending on the UAV's level of autonomy, it may then fall out of the sky, make a controlled landing, return to an earlier waypoint, or continue operating normally. [1]
The device can have 4 or 6 antennas. By default there are two antennas for the 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz frequency bands, with a power of 10 W each, one antenna for the GPS 1.5 GHz band with a power of 10 W, and one antenna for the GLONASS 1.5 GHz band with a power of 10 W. [3]
The device is made of aluminium, with the "gun" portion being modelled after the Heckler & Koch G36 rifle [5] – including a trigger to activate the device and optics for sighting. It weighs 5.5 kg and measures 1050 × 220 × 360 mm with the stock extended (830 × 220 × 360 mm without the stock extended). It is powered by a 24 V battery, which can last for up to 60 minutes. [2] [1]
The EDM4S-UA version of the device – at a unit cost of US$15,000 – was first used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces against the Russian separatist drones in Donbas in 2021 as part of the Russo-Ukrainian War. It has since seen further use in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, neutralizing the Russian drones such as the Eleron-3. [6] [7] [8] In June 2022, Lithuania donated 110 units to Ukraine at a cost of €1.5 million (US$1.56 million). [9]
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