The Department of Defense’s (DoD) FutureG Office is exploring how new features of 6G wireless technologies can help to sense drones in a network’s environment, according to Deputy Principal Director Marlan Macklin.
At the Elastic Public Sector Summit in Washington, D.C., on March 19, Macklin shared that his unofficial title is “FutureG’s hype man.” His office – which sits within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering – is responsible for the strategic assessment and research and development of FutureG technologies.
“Our office is a little unique. We’re looking at the future,” Macklin said. “As our focus has just shifted to 6G, 6G will introduce some new features that some of the community is aware of, but I don’t think all fully appreciate the implications of that.”
For example, one feature he shared is called ISAC, or integrated sensing and communications. ISAC uses radio signals from networks to detect and analyze objects, enabling new use cases for drones.
“As these RF [radio frequency] signals are going out there, moving from radio towers connecting to our devices, they transmit our voice data that allows the calls, they transmit data as our devices connect to the internet. But as those RF signals are bouncing around the environment, they can also paint a picture of what’s going on in that environment,” he explained.
“We’ve got a lot of drone delivery businesses that will expand their operations,” he said. “So, where we understand the standards are currently heading with that is drone swarm control, drone deconfliction, and then also drone detection.”
In the last several years, the DoD has made it clear that a technology capable of defending against enemy drone aircraft – also referred to as counter-UAS systems – is a high priority, with several of the service branches undergoing their own counter-UAS initiative.
In December, drones garnered a lot of attention amid thousands of reported drone sightings – particularly in New Jersey and across the eastern United States.
The FBI said it received more than 5,000 tips of reported drone sightings in a matter of weeks with about 100 leads generated. However, the agency said it had “not identified anything anomalous” and attributed the sightings to “a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones.”
Macklin referenced the recent drone sightings, saying, “When you add a national security perspective to that, we sure have had a lot of incidents with folks who have been weaponizing commercial drones. So, I think your imaginations can run pretty fast with why that is important, why we need to lead innovation in that area.”
“It’s a really cool, exciting place to be in,” Macklin said. “And in addition to that, that will be integrated into existing digital infrastructure. So, really cool.”
