US urged to deploy drone-hunting tech used in Ukraine war to solve UFO mystery

As unidentified drones and flying objects continue to puzzle residents in New Jersey, New York, and other US Northeast cities, a drone-hunting technology currently being used on the battlefield in Ukraine might offer some relief. According to a report in ABC News, New York Senator Chuck Schumer and New York Governor Kathy Hochul have urged the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to harness the Robin Radar System to identify the source of these flying objects that have been giving sleepless nights to local communities for over a month.

"I want to see a flock of Robin-like technology systems deployed across the New York City metropolitan area, so we need the Department of Homeland Security to spring into action," Schumer said in a statement delivered Monday (Dec 16) in the Senate.

Watch:White House Assures Drone Sightings in New Jersey Pose No Threat

It is to be noted that such drone sightings have also been reported from states like Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Ohio. On Saturday, the Boston Police Department reportedly detained two people for allegedly flying drones dangerously close to the Logan International Airport.

More about Robin-like technology

According to the director of Robin Radar USA Inc., the advanced drone detection system can be put to use to track “small moving objects, whether they be drones, rotary, fixed-wing, or if you just want to filter them out because you don't want to see birds or large crickets." Kris Brost was quoted as saying by ABC News that the system has evolved over the past years after originally being designed for preventing flocks of birds near airports from striking aircraft.

The system has the ability to differentiate manned-operated aircraft from drones by analysing their flying patterns in real time and beam data back to a laptop computer with a 360-degree, 3D view of the airspace.

“Basically what a radar does is, a radar bounces radio waves off objects," Brost said, but also added that the Robin radar can also read a drone's radio frequency: "There’s a sophisticated term called ‘radar cross section’ and that really comes down to what is that material made of, how fast is it moving, what altitude it’s at, etc."

This radar system is being used in the Russia-Ukraine war to help Kyiv forces locate incoming Russian weaponised drones.

(With inputs from agencies)