Defense ministries of several NATO countries have praised the acoustic air threat detection systems developed by Ukraine, specifically the Zvook and Sky Fortress systems. The Economist reported on this development. Following the successful deployment of the Ukrainian systems on the battlefield, defense ministries of NATO countries have started purchasing acoustic equipment for their national air defense systems. Thales, a European defense giant, is working on its own acoustic network to detect aerial threats and plans to present it next year. The Polish company Advanced Protection Systems has also resumed work on a similar system. The Ukrainian innovation in acoustic monitoring has been described as “extraordinary” by General James Hecker, Commander of the U.S. Air Force in Europe.

One of the Ukrainian systems highly praised by Western militaries is called Zvook. It is a hardware and software system capable of detecting cruise missiles, helicopters, drones, and fighter jets at low and medium altitudes. Zvook consists of a network of microphones placed throughout Ukraine, which record ambient sounds. These sounds are then processed by special software to analyze and separate coincidences with the sounds of aerial threats. The Ukrainian system is capable of detecting drones up to 5 km away and cruise missiles up to 7 km away, making it a cost-effective and discreet alternative to conventional radars. The Zvook system costs around $500 and is installed in large numbers to improve accuracy. Data collected by the system is transmitted via a satellite network.

Another Ukrainian acoustic-detection network, called Sky Fortress, is less known but has also garnered attention. According to Riki Ellison, founder of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, the Sky Fortress system has become highly effective at detecting the Russian attack drones used against Ukraine. The system was recently demonstrated privately to representatives of 11 NATO countries, where it successfully detected and tracked simulated cruise missiles and drones.

ملخص الأخبار

• Ukrainian Zvook system uses curved acoustic mirrors to concentrate sound waves.
• Zvook developers are working on a new four-microphone setup to increase accuracy.
• Zvook’s false alarm rate is currently about 1.6%, with target data delivered in less than 12 seconds.
• Sky Fortress system has become highly effective at detecting Russian attack drones used against Ukraine.