Response of the UAV Sensor System to HPEM Attacks

In this work we investigate impact of intentional electromagnetic interference (IEMI) on sensors of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The UAV under test is a small, commercial off-the-shelf quadcopter. IEMI is applied in the form of a narrowband high-power electromagnetic (HPEM) pulse characterized by frequencies between 100 MHz and 3.4 GHz and field strengths above the immunity levels required by electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) standards. The tests are conducted in a shielded hall with the UAV immobilized during the tests. We report results of real-time observations of the UAV behaviour under HPEM influence complemented by the analysis of the flight record data extracted from the UAV logs.