The Ripsaw, the Phaser, and more new drone technology

The Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College has a weekly newsletter devoted to drones. Here's a sampling of the military and domestic drone technology spotlighted this week.

The BBC looked at new anti-drone devices like Raytheon's "Phaser" that may have been sent to the Middle East after the attack on Saudi Arabia's oil fields:

Firing from a disc resembling a giant satellite dish atop a sand-coloured container it wipes out the digital elements inside a drone.

Raytheon cannot say where the rapidly purchased Phaser has been sent, but the Pentagon has stated that it is being deployed overseas.

Perhaps Phaser's biggest strength is it operates at the speed of light. That is the rate at which it fires out bursts of microwave radiation. And that can bring an approaching UAV down in a split second.

The beam emitted by Phaser is 100 metres broad at a distance of one kilometre. That translates into a lot of dangerous space for an attacking UAV. Targets are tracked by an electro-optical sensor converting images into electronic signals and working in tandem with the microwave beam.

The new Ripsaw M5 can launch a #FLIR SUGV, Skyraider, and features a TacFLIR 280-HD, and the 360 SA system for situational awareness! pic.twitter.com/8WFY1wQ5Rb

— FLIR (@flir) October 14, 2019

Textron Systems showed off a robotic tank concept:

The vehicle, developed in collaboration with FLIR Systems makers of the Black Hornet micro unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and Howe & Howe uses FLIR systems technology to get a 360-degree image of its surroundings and can carry a range of payloads including a medium-calibre cannon, Javelin missile, and mine-clearing equipment.