Army Unveils Revolutionary Luneberg Lens for Drones, Outsmarting Enemy Air Defences

The Indian Army has developed a special lens that can deceive enemy air defence systems during wartime. This lens, called the Luneberg lens, is attached to a drone and is used to locate enemy weapons and identify the type of weaponry used against ground forces and aircraft.

So how does the lens work? When attached to a drone, the Luneberg lens increases the radar signature of the drone, making it appear like a helicopter. The radar cross-section is the target’s ability to reflect radar signals on the receiver. Drones have a small radar cross-section compared to helicopters, but the Luneberg lens increases the radar signature, deceiving the enemy’s air defence system and making the drone appear as a helicopter. This forces the enemy to initiate air defence measures such as using missiles or anti-aircraft guns. The lens has been designed by the Army Design Bureau.

Captain Dheeraj Umesh from the 511 Air Defence Missile Regiment of the army is the innovator of the Luneberg lens. He explained that if a swarm of drones equipped with the lens is sent, it can confuse the enemy’s radar by alerting them to approaching attack helicopters. This would force the enemy to initiate air defence measures to counter the perceived threat. The intelligence gathered from these operations will be helpful for future missions, as the lens can cover a 360-degree area on the radar and reflect signals from any direction.

The drones with the Luneberg lens can also be used to conceal the planned route of heliborne operations. Multiple quadcopters can be sent in a direction to deceive the enemy radar, making it an effective choice for aerial deception. However, currently, the lens cannot depict a fighter aircraft. The officer mentioned that in the future, if a UAV or drone with higher speed is developed, the lens can be used to depict a fighter jet.

The drone with the Luneberg lens was tested in March, where it successfully evaded the OSA-AK missile fired from a range of 6.5 kilometers. It was also tested on the radar system in an Electronic Warfare Test in October. The drone has a range of 15 kilometers and can fly for 40 minutes. It is designed to operate in hot deserts and high-altitude mountainous terrain. The production cost of the drone is relatively cheap, with a lens costing around Rs 55,000 and the cost per target being approximately Rs 2.5 lakh, compared to the existing cost of Rs 25-30 lakh per target.