DSEI Japan 2023: MC2 Technologies supplies Nerod RF C-UAS to Japan

MC2 Technologies has been supplying its Nerod RF C-UAS (pictured) to the Japanese government with the help of its local partner, Mikuni Aerospace. (MC2 Technologies)

French company Microwave Characterization Center (MC2) Technologies has been supplying its Nerod RF counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) to the Japanese government with the help of its local partner in Japan, Mikuni Aerospace.

Speaking to Janes at the DSEI Japan 2023 show being held in Chiba, Camille Gaquiere, export control manager at MC2 Technologies said that the Nerod RF units are manufactured by the company at their facilities in France and sent to Japan. Mikuni Aerospace co-ordinates with the Japanese government to understand and fulfil the government's requirements.

The Nerod RF is a handheld C-UAS that needs to be pointed at a hostile unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) by the operator to work.

Gaquiere said that the Nerod RF works by generating noise signals at the radio frequencies (RFs) used by hostile UAVs. The C-UAS can transmit signals on seven frequency bands independently or simultaneously including 400 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, and 5.8 GHz.

Gaquiere added that the Nerod RF can also jam the L1 and L2 signals of the Global Positioning System (GPS), disrupting the flight of a UAV. The GPS L1 signal operates at a frequency of 1575.42 MHz, whereas L2 operates at a frequency of 1227.60 MHz.

While the Nerod RF can jam GPS from a range of 2 km, the system's RF jamming range depends upon the UAV's distance from its operator, Gaquiere said. If the distance between the UAV and its operator is 1 km, Nerod RF will be able to jam the UAV's RFs from a distance of 3–5 km, she added.