Localization of Micro Unmanned Aerial Vehicles using Digital Audio Broadcast Signals

Localizing micro unmanned aerial vehicles (MUAV) using passive radar systems makes it possible to counter the threat they pose to critical infrastructure. In this paper, we discuss an efficient signal processing chain for their localization and demonstrate the detection and localization of cooperative MUAVs using a five-element array and Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) signals. The MUAVs were detected up to their maximum flight distance from the receiver of 2.6 kilometers. By estimating the direction of arrival of the target echoes in addition to the bistatic range and Doppler frequency shift, the MUAVs could be localized with a mean position error below 90 meters.