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2017-10-05

RF Safe-Stop puts the spotlight on deactivation technology

RF Safe-Stop is a state-of-the-art, non-contact jamming system from Teledyne e2v, a leading global provider of innovative technology for high performance systems and equipment.

By Sakha Pramod

The system, which was on display at DSEI, is capable of bringing moving targets across land, sea and air to a controlled stop, at a safe distance without collateral damage. The technology has been successfully trialled on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), boats, cars, motorbikes and commercial vehicles.

Andy Wood, Product Manager at Teledyne e2v told Nation Shield, “At Teledyne e2v we have an extensive range of RF components, and within the Novel Solutions group we have utilised these components to develop the RF Safe-Stop capability. It works by emitting radio frequency pulses at targeted vehicles, vessels or UAVs. This causes the targets’ electronic control unit to become overloaded, therefore causing it to deactivate. When the pulses travel back to the processor, they look like corrupt information coming from its sensors.”

When the radio frequency pulses are emitted, causing the effect on the target vehicle, it retains limited controllability, resulting in steering and brakes maintaining functionality. The target is unable to move until RF Safe-Stop is put back in passive mode, but vehicle occupants remain unharmed, allowing greater precautionary use.

Wood explains, “If RF Safe-Stop was used on a car for example, it would cause the car to think that the engine’s timing had gone out of synchronisation. When this happens, the engine management system highlights that this is an unsafe condition and shuts the engine down. RF Safe-Stop doesn’t do any long-term damage to the car, and the car can simply be restarted and go on its way once the radio frequencies stop being emitted. The idea is that while the RF pulses are emitted, the car simply won’t start. When the pulses are emitted, the car is slowed down gradually. This can be useful for border patrol or drug-related cases, when you want to stop a car in a very controlled way, without risk to the occupants or officers involved.

“In the US and the UK motorbikes are notoriously difficult to stop, but this system means that motorbikes can be stopped remotely and safely.”

For sea, it is typically applied for harbour entry protection, maritime policing and antipiracy, and when activated towards a targeted vessel, the vessel retains limited controllability, but is unable to move until RF Safe-Stop is put back in passive mode.

It is designed for use on small patrol boats and vessel occupants that remain unharmed allowing greater precautionary use.

RF Safe-Stop can also be used to safely bring Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to a controlled stop and has stopping ranges of up to 400m in the current configuration, with greater distances possible. Trials have seen success in stopping drones alone or in pairs, and typically UAVs attempt to return to their senders or land outside of the RF Safe-Stop ‘barrier’.

“It is efficient when used on small hovering UAVs that seem to be causing a lot of problems at the moment. The car and the UAV systems are effectively the same. We do change the software slightly, but the frequency used to effect boats is a little different compared to the other two,” says Wood. “The beauty about this product is that it has a narrow frequency band, so it doesn’t interfere with radio communications, radar, or GPS. It is very unique in that sense.”

Wood concludes be saying, “We have had sales in the Far East, Middle East, Europe and North America. They are in the testing and evaluation phase at the moment.”

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