Detection of sUAS in Urban Environments using Multi-Antenna Micro-Doppler Radar

Abstract

Sensing and early detection of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) are critically important in modern-day defense. In dense urban and indoor environments, detection becomes extremely challenging due to dense multipath, fading, low-altitude flight, and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) radio-frequency propagation. This paper presents a continuous-wave multiple-input multiple-output radar and a deep learning model for sUAS detection using NLOS signals. The radar operates at 2.47 GHz, and spectral correlation densities derived from rotational micro-Doppler signatures from the rotor blades are used as inputs to the deep learning model. Experimental results demonstrate an overall detection accuracy of $86.11\%$ across a dataset of five drone types, confirming the feasibility of sUAS detection in dense urban environments without direct line-of-sight conditions.