Ukraine Developed the ARes Acoustic System for Targeting Drones and Missiles

The Ukrainian company ARes has developed a new acoustic targeting system capable of recording the flight paths of drones and missiles under challenging conditions.

Kostyantyn Kostin, ARes representative, told Militarnyi about the development during the Brave1 Components exhibition.

According to him, the system is designed to detect various types of drones, from FPV drones to Shaheds.

The targeting range for FPV drones is 200-300 meters, and for Shaheds, up to 5 kilometers, as confirmed by field tests.

The system operates in cloudy conditions, fog, at any time of the day, and remains completely passive, as it does not emit signals. The system covers a full hemisphere, scanning the sky simultaneously in all directions.

It can track multiple airborne targets simultaneously, including in noisy urban environments.

The system has been tested in real-world conditions – during Shaheda attacks, cruise missile launches, and field tests of FPV drones.

ARes specialists are working on a compact version of the system for installation on ground drones. This integration will help counter FPV attacks more effectively and protect logistics routes.

The developers emphasize that the system not only detects the target but also provides precise targeting for the munitions.

For the convenience of operators, the system is equipped with a webcam; an acoustic projection is superimposed on the video, allowing them to accurately determine the target’s direction.

The key elements are phased-array microphone technology and bimodal beamforming. The device scans the space with millions of sound “beams,” which allows it to detect both loud and quiet sources and identify each one separately.

The system is offered as an addition to automated weapons.

The company expects to receive a grant from Brave1 to start manufacturing batches of systems for the military.

The development has many elements that are not produced in Ukraine, but the system received boards and software developed by the company.

Several companies in Ukraine are engaged in acoustic systems, and earlier Ukrainian companies presented the FENEK acoustic drone detection system, designed for mobile fire groups and object protection.