Russian military personnel have begun using a new acoustic system called "Uho" (Ear), designed to detect various types of unmanned aerial vehicles. The complex is capable of identifying "Lyutyi" UAVs at a distance of up to five kilometers, and FPV drones at a distance of up to 300–500 meters. The development was created by specialists from NPO "Alfa".
The main feature of the system is the detection of aerial targets by sound. The device weighs only about 700 grams and is equipped with a highly sensitive microphone with a multi-channel digital signal processing unit. According to the developers, this was sufficient for reliable recognition of both aircraft-type drones with internal combustion engines and compact FPV drones.
One of the most challenging tasks for such complexes remains combating false positives. NPO "Alfa" explained that some household sounds can have an acoustic spectrum similar to drone noise. As an example, specialists cited the crow of a domestic rooster, which in some cases can match the characteristics of the signal from certain FPV drones.
"Uho" is a network of acoustic stations united by a common information processing system. This architecture allows for monitoring a significant territory and promptly transmitting data on the appearance of drones.
Currently, specialists are completing work on a modernized version of the complex. It will not only be able to detect aerial targets but also automatically determine their direction of movement with an accuracy of one to two degrees, which will significantly expand the capabilities of the early warning system.