Ballistic net solutions

Two starting points

The requirement begins either at the flying asset or at the protected asset. In the first case a UAV or other flying asset must be recovered or captured before it is lost or damaged. In the second, equipment, infrastructure, personnel or a protected area must be defended against a defined ballistic or kinetic impact risk.

The manufacturer provides ballistic net solutions for both needs: recovery and capture nets for flying assets, and ballistic protection nets intended to stop or capture incoming objects before they reach a protected asset or area.

Each solution begins with the same practical question: what critical asset must be preserved, and what must the system do to support recovery, protection and survivability in the application?

Recover and capture

Where a flying asset must be brought back safely, the net system has to support preservation of the platform, payload or operational asset. Typical requirements are recovering a UAV, capturing it within a defined recovery area, reducing the risk of platform or payload loss, and keeping the asset available for further use. The right solution depends on the flying asset, the required recovery outcome, the operating environment and the system constraints.

Protect

Ballistic protection nets and ballistic capture systems are intended to stop or capture objects in ballistic flight, rocket-assisted flight or direct kinetic trajectories before they reach the protected asset. This requirement may be relevant when a team needs to:

• reduce exposure to a defined impact risk,
• protect critical equipment or infrastructure,
• support protection of personnel or operational areas,
• preserve assets whose damage or loss could affect mission capability.

Recovery nets for UAVs and other flying assets

When a flying asset needs to be brought back or captured, the net is part of a recovery requirement. The practical concern is not the net alone, but what needs to be preserved: the UAV, the payload, the equipment on board, or the operational value of the asset after mission use.

This requirement connects directly to Recovery and Critical Asset Preservation: supporting the physical return or preservation of an aerial asset when loss or damage creates an operational risk.

A recovery and capture net solution should begin with a clear understanding of:

• The type of UAV or flying asset.
• The asset or payload that must be preserved.
• The required recovery or capture outcome.
• The available recovery area and operational conditions.
• The technical constraints that affect the solution.

Ballistic protection nets for incoming impact risks

When the risk comes from an incoming object rather than from the loss of a flying asset, the requirement changes from recovery to protection. Ballistic protection nets are intended for situations where an asset or area must be protected from objects moving in ballistic, rocket-assisted or direct kinetic trajectories.

In this application, the value of the net is connected to reducing exposure and helping preserve the asset or capability behind the protection system.

Such a net is never evaluated generically, but according to the defined risk, the asset requiring protection, the operating conditions and the validation required for the application. The system requirement should begin with:

• What asset, infrastructure, personnel or area needs protection.
• What defined impact risk must be addressed.
• What the weight, speed or kinetic energy of the threat is.
• Whether the required outcome is stopping, capture, containment, interception or another approved protective function.
• What operational conditions and limitations must be considered.
• What evidence or validation is required before selection.
• What net materials are best suited to the requirements.
• What the best deployment strategy for the net is.

Five questions before evaluation

Before evaluating a ballistic net solution, the requirement should be clearly defined:

• What needs to be preserved? Is the priority a UAV, another flying asset, a payload, equipment, infrastructure, personnel or a protected operational area?
• What creates the risk? Is it the loss or damage of a flying asset during recovery, or exposure to a defined ballistic or kinetic impact threat?
• What outcome is required? Is it recovery, capture, protection, containment or another defined result?
• What conditions affect the solution? The operating environment, system limits, installation requirements, available area and technical constraints all affect suitability.
• What evidence is required? A suitable solution must be evaluated according to the intended application, required documentation, known limitations and any relevant testing or validation requirements.

What to define before selecting a ballistic net

A net system should be selected according to what the mission requires it to do. If the priority is bringing a flying asset back safely, the solution begins with Recovery. If the priority is protecting an asset from an incoming impact risk, the solution begins with Protection. In both cases, the wider purpose is Critical Asset Preservation and support for Survivability.

About the manufacturer

The manufacturer develops off-the-shelf and custom-built lightweight, low-bulk UAV recovery systems and related defence textile solutions. Its approved solution areas include UAV recovery and descent systems, ballistic nets and ballistic capture systems, drone capture nets, and custom textile-based defence solutions.

Its wider positioning is built around Recovery, Critical Asset Preservation and Survivability. For flying-asset capture, this means supporting the preservation and return of the asset. For ballistic protection requirements, it means applying defence textile capability to help protect critical assets exposed to a defined impact risk.

APCO Aviation states that it has produced aviation products since the early 1970s and operates a 3,200 m² factory built for its production requirements.

Development and engineering support

Some net-system requirements need more than a solution category: they require technical discussion around the asset, the operating environment, the required outcome and the evidence needed to support the application. For development, engineering, testing, documentation or production support, the Services section is the right starting point.