🚨 Breaking News : UK-Made “Shahed Detector” Skyperion Fails to Spot Silent Drones in Ukraine Trials – Source: Defence Express 🇬🇧🇺🇦
In recent tests conducted in Ukraine, the British Skyperion drone detection system developed by UK defence firm Metis Aerospace has demonstrated clear limitations in detecting several combat variants of Iranian-origin Shahed loitering munitions/UAVs used by Russia, according to Defence Express.
The lightweight Skyperion passive radio-frequency (RF) sensor showed it can successfully pick up and classify Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 strike drones only when they emit RF signals, such as telemetry radios, video links, or commercial cellular modems. In these conditions, the system can detect and provide bearing information on the target.
However, Skyperion fails to detect drones that fly in an autonomous, GNSS/INS-only mode, where the UAV navigates silently without transmitting radio signals effectively operating in “radio silence”. These autonomous configurations are increasingly common in modern loitering munitions, meaning the system would miss such threats entirely on its own.
Skyperion is designed for wideband passive RF monitoring across roughly 30 MHz to 18 GHz, and its maker claims it can be integrated into larger counter-UAS networks where RF signature libraries aid classification. But detailed real-world performance data in combat conditions has not been publicly released.
From an analytical perspective, this shortfall highlights a broader reality: no single sensor can reliably detect all types of unmanned aerial threats. Effective counter-drone protection especially against loitering munitions usually requires an integrated suite of sensors, combining RF, radar, EO/IR, and other capabilities to cover silent and low-observable platforms.
Observers suggest the Skyperion system is unlikely to be acquired in large numbers by Ukrainian forces, given that domestic and allied counter-UAS solutions tailored to battlefield dynamics are already in use. Nonetheless, limited deliveries under military assistance frameworks could still occur.
📰 Source: Defence Express – “British Skyperion Shahed Detector Tested in Ukraine, Fails to Detect All Strike UAV Variants.”
Key Facts:
• Skyperion RF sensor detects RF-emitting drones only.
• Does not detect autonomous, radio-silent UAVs.
• Highlights the need for integrated C-UAS systems.
• Limited likely procurement by Ukraine.