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Invisible Threats. Visible Protection.

SkyShield Sentry
Acoustic Counter-UAS Protection For Fiber-Optic Tethered “Silent” Drone Detection

SkyShield Sentry Datasheet

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Key Benefits:

Most counter-UAS systems are optimized to detect Group 2 threats using radar, RF direction finding, and EO/IR sensors.

The hardest problem remains unsolved: detecting and defeating silent, low-altitude Group 1 drones that emit little or no RF, operate below radar coverage, and directly enable lethal fires.

SkyShield Sentry - Sound Enhanced, Non-RF, Tethered Reconnaissance

 

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Airborne threats have evolved from large, expensive platforms to small, affordable, and widely available drones capable of surveillance, disruption, and attack.

Conventional defense systems struggle against this shift.

Missiles are costly, scarce, and mismatched to small drones

Gun systems depend on line-of-sight, ammunition, and reaction time

RF jammers fail against autonomous or tethered platforms

SkyShield Sentry is designed for this new threat environment. It operates in adverse weather, does not depend on optical line-of-sight, and uses a modular architecture combining early acoustic detection, automated tracking, and controlled kinetic interception.

The Problem We Solve

 

Small, Low-Cost Drones Have Redefined Modern Warfare — Tethered Drones Complicate the Threat

Group 1 unmanned systems are now routinely used to:

  • Maintain persistent, silent ISR over friendly positions

  • Spot troop movement, vehicles and emissions
  • Adjust artillery and indirect fires in near real time
  • Operate continuously without RF emissions or battery constraints

Tethered drones represent one of the most dangerous evolutions of the Group 1 threat

Tethered drones can:

  • Remain airborne indefinitely

  • Operate with minimal acoustic and RF signatures

  • Avoid GPS and RF dependence entirely

  • Remain invisible to RF-based detection systems
Missiles, guns, and RF jammers were not designed for this threat.
DRONE

Understanding the Threat of Group 1 Drones

 

Static Predictability


Typical Characteristics:

Weight : 0–20 lb (≤9 kg)

Altitude : Below 1,200 ft AGL

Speed : Typically under 100 knots

Types of Group One Drones:


FPV attack drones
Commercial quadcopters
Tethered ISR drones providing persistent overwatch

Missions:


Continuous surveillance and target acquisition
Fire correction and battlefield shaping
Base perimeter and forward position monitoring

Tethered drones fundamentally break traditional C-UAS assumptions:

No RF control link to jam
Minimal or no GPS dependence
Near-continuous endurance
Extremely low visual and electronic signatures
14

Understanding the Threat of Group 2 Drones

 

Static Predictability


Typical Characteristics:

Weight : 21–55 lb (10–25 kg)

Altitude : Below 3,500 ft AGL

Speed : Up to 250 knots

Missions:


Wide-area ISR
Target acquisition
Longer-endurance surveillance
Limited EW or payload delivery

Group 2 detection generally relies on:


Radar
RF direction finding
EO/IR sensors
Multi-sensor fusion and data-link fingerprinting

The Economics of Modern Drone Warfare

The threat is cheap.

Traditional defenses are expensive.

That doesn’t scale.

Enemy drones often cost $500–$5,000
Missile or gun-based interceptors can cost $50,000 to over $1M per shot

If an adversary can force friendly forces to spend 10–100× more to defeat each drone, they win by economics — even if every drone is shot down.

Effective counter-UAS must match the cost and scale of the threat.

SkyShield Sentry was designed for this reality:

 
  • Disposable, cost-efficient kinetic interceptors
  • ≥95% single-interceptor hit probability
  • Scalable defense against repeated or persistent drone activity
  • Autonomous operation that reduces manpower and reaction time
You should not need a missile to stop a small drone.
04

Why Acoustic Detection Matters

Tethered drones are designed to defeat RF and GPS-based counter-UAS systems.

Tethered Drones:

Don't rely on RF control links

Do not require GPS to operate

Operate below radar coverage

Emit minimal electronic signatures

Most counter-UAS systems look for signals.
Tethered drones don’t emit them.

SkyShield Sentry Detects What Others Cannot

SkyShield Sentry is acoustic-based, not RF-dependent.
Instead of searching for emissions a drone can suppress, SkyShield Sentry detects the one signature a flying object cannot turn off:

Sound generated by flight itself.
Even “silent” tethered drones must move air to remain aloft.
If it’s flying, it’s making noise.
If it’s making noise, SkyShield Sentry can detect it.

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02
Threat Characteristic Why Traditional Systems Fail Why SkyShield Sentry Works
No RF control link
Nothing to jam or detect
Acoustic sensing requires no RF
GPS-independent operation
GPS denial irrelevant
GPS not required
Low-altitude flight
Below radar coverage
Acoustic detection works at low altitude
Persistent loiter
Hard to visually track
Continuous acoustic monitoring
Minimal electronic emissions
RF and EO/IR blind
Sound cannot be hidden

The SkyShield Sentry Detection Advantage

 

SkyShield Sentry’s primary mission is early, reliable detection of silent Group 1 drones, including tethered ISR platforms.


Key detection capabilities:

  • Acoustic radar technology using sound and AI

     

  • Optimized for low-RPM, low-signature tethered flight profiles

     

  • Sensor fusion across multiple modalities

     

  • Direction finding and range estimation

     

  • High clutter rejection with low false positives

     

  • Fully operational in GPS-denied and RF-congested environments

 

No commercially available tethered drone can operate silently enough to evade SkyShield Sentry’s acoustic detection.

From Silent Detection to Autonomous Defeat

Detect

Acoustic and multi-modal sensors identify silent, tethered, and autonomous Group 1 drones.

Classify & Prioritize

AI-driven threat classification in real time.

Engage

Compressed-air launch of a kinetic, non-explosive interceptor.

Neutralize

  • Autonomous terminal guidance

     

  • ≥95% hit probability

     

  • No explosives or fragmentation

     

  • Minimal collateral risk

Persist

  • Hot-swap modular launcher

  • Scalable up to 98 interceptors

  • Continuous protection against persistent ISR

05_02

Why This Matters to the Modern Warfighter

Silent tethered drones enable:

  • Constant enemy visibility
  • Precision fires
  • Loss of maneuver advantage
  • Increased casualty risk

SkyShield Sentry restores tactical concealment and freedom of movement by:

  • Detecting drones that emit no RF or GPS signals

  • Removing persistent ISR from the battlespace

  • Providing early warning before targeting begins

  • Operating autonomously under fire

This is first-line detection against silent threats and last-line protection when other defenses fail

Primary Military Use Cases:

  • Forward operating bases under persistent ISR

  • Trench lines and static defensive positions

  • Mobile units threatened by overhead surveillance

  • Critical infrastructure monitored by tethered drones

  • Expeditionary and austere deployments

05

Software-defined, mobile counter-UAS
system for rapid detection and kinetic
neutralization of hostile drones.

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13

Technical Specifications
Target Type
FPV and camera drones, ≤ 1 kg
Range
Up to 1,000 m
Single-Interceptor HitProbability *
≥ 95%
Weight (interceptor +launch tube) *
700 g
Dimensions (launch tube)
100 × 100 × 250 mm (4 × 4 × 10 in)
Maximum number of interceptors in one system
98 (10 × 10 grid)
Maximum flight time
5 min
Maximum speed
135 km/h (85 mph)
Operational Endurance (98-interceptor system, single charge) *
24 hours

SkyShield Sentry

Features:

  • Fully assembled and factory-sealed interceptors – no setup required
  • Cost-efficient, disposable interceptor drones
  • Acoustic radar technology for guidance toward incoming drones using sound and AI
  • Real-time threat classification and prioritization
  • Compressed-air launch system capable of operation from off-level positions or moving vehicles
  • Kinetic, non-explosive neutralization
  • Network-ready for integration with external C2 systems*
  • Fully autonomous operation — no skilled operator required
  • Five-year service life enabled by intelligent battery management and wear leveling*
  • Shore power support: 24 V DC or 110/220 V AC (via power adapter)*
09

Primary Use Cases:

  • Base and forward operating position defense

  • Critical infrastructure protection

  • Mobile convoy and vehicle escort

  • Temporary event and perimeter security

Detection & Tracking:

  • Sensor fusion across multiple modalities

  • Direction finding and range estimation

  • High clutter rejection and low false positives

  • Operates in GPS-denied and RF-congested environments

Interceptor:

  • Kinetic interceptor drone

  • No explosives or fragmentation

  • Designed to minimize collateral risk

  • Autonomous terminal guidance

Command & Control:

  • Local operator interface

  • Autonomous engagement modes

  • Manual override supported

  • API for external sensor and C2 integration *

Launcher System:

  • Modular multi-tube launcher

  • Vehicle-mounted or static configuration

  • Hot-swap capable

  • Scalable from single to multiple launch modules

08

LOCH Technologies Wireless Cybersecurity Solutions

Get early, reliable detection of silent Group 1 drones with LOCH's SkyShield Sentry