Night-time Detection of UAVs using Thermal Infrared Camera

With the proliferation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), a series of safety and security challenges emerged. In recent years there have been numerous safety and security incidents with UAVs which prompted an increase in research of surveillance and interdiction methods tailored for UAVs. Detecting UAVs in flight can become very difficult in some circumstances such as during the night, in low visibility, or in urban environments. Thermal infrared cameras can detect small variations in heat on the level of tens of mK. Electrically powered UAVs do not produce large amounts of heat compared to aircraft powered by fuel combustion. This is because the electric motors are more efficient than combustion engines and because the air around the UAV is rapidly circulated. In this paper we have tested the applicability of a low-cost long-wave infrared sensor for detection of various UAVs in flight.