Moscow Airport Installs AI-Powered Anti-Drone Radar

Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport has installed an AI-powered radar system to detect and deter drones, Russian state media reported Tuesday.

Sheremetyevo, along with the Russian capital’s three other airports, repeatedly shut down due to drone attacks this summer as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dragged on for a second year.

The new anti-drone defense system, dubbed “Yenot-SD,” is operated by the Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab, the airport said in a statement carried by state-run news agencies.

Its AI capabilities are said to be able to distinguish between birds, drones, aircraft, people and vehicles.

“[Yenot-SD] allows the suppression of drones exclusively, excluding any impact on aircraft,” Sheremetyevo said, adding that the system also detects “radio silent” drones.

“The software and hardware complex is designed to automatically detect low-flying targets (including unmanned small-class vehicles), their verification by video image and countermeasures through interference,” Sheremetyevo said.

Sheremetyevo did not specify whether the system’s successful countermeasures against drones would still lead to temporary airport closures.

Some airlines, which the aviation industry says suffer additional costs from airport closures, have threatened to seek compensation from the Russian government if the flights continue to be rerouted.