BY DENEB SYSTEMS

ALIEN

A flying interceptor prototype with autonomous interception demonstrated in simulation.

INTELLIGENT. ADAPTIVE. UNMANNED.

BUILT FOR THE MISSION.

THE MISSION

Built to pursue airborne targets.

Small UAVs create a difficult interception problem. They are compact, agile, and inexpensive enough to be deployed at scale. Alien is a flying prototype being developed as a compact autonomous interceptor capable of visually acquiring a target and continuously correcting its flight path during pursuit. Autonomous interception is currently demonstrated in simulation.

  1. Acquirethen
  2. Trackthen
  3. Pursue

VISION-GUIDED PURSUIT

The target becomes the reference.

Alien's camera observes the target while the onboard perception system estimates its position and movement inside the image. Guidance combines that information with the interceptor's inertial and flight state to generate continuous pursuit corrections.

  1. Camera imagethen
  2. Detectionthen
  3. Trackingthen
  4. Relative guidancethen
  5. ArduPilotthen
  6. Aircraft response

NO TARGET GPS REQUIRED

Pursuit without target coordinates.

Alien does not require the target to transmit its location. Once visually acquired, the target can be followed using relative image movement and the interceptor's onboard state. Launch, initial detection, and aircraft navigation may still depend on external systems.

INTEGRATED AUTONOMY STACK

Perception and flight control working as one system.

Camera perception, relative guidance, flight control, and simulation operate as one development stack—from target pixels to aircraft response.

Perception

  1. Camera inputthen
  2. YOLO detectionthen
  3. ByteTrack trackingthen
  4. OpenCV processing

Guidance

  1. Relative target positionthen
  2. Motion estimationthen
  3. Pursuit controllerthen
  4. Command generation

Flight

  1. ArduPilotthen
  2. MAVLinkthen
  3. Attitude stabilisationthen
  4. Vehicle control

Simulation

  1. Gazebothen
  2. ROS 2then
  3. ArduPilot SITLthen
  4. Recorded telemetrythen
  5. Trajectory analysis

DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION

Flight demonstrated; interception remains in simulation.

Alien has a flying physical prototype. Its interception logic is developed in a simulated environment containing both the interceptor and a moving aerial target. Gazebo and ArduPilot SITL allow detection, tracking, guidance, and flight behaviour to be tested as one integrated system before physical autonomous-interception validation.

  1. Target and interceptor simulationdemonstrated
  2. Camera-based target detectiondemonstrated
  3. Persistent trackingdemonstrated
  4. MAVLink guidance integrationdemonstrated
  5. Trajectory analysisdemonstrated
  6. Physical flying prototypedemonstrated
  7. Autonomous interception simulationdemonstrated
  8. Physical autonomous interceptionplanned

AERODYNAMIC DEVELOPMENT

Shaped through simulation.

Alien was evaluated using Cradle CFD analysis. Aerodynamic coefficients obtained through this work were incorporated into the Gazebo simulation model, connecting aerodynamic analysis with guidance and flight-behaviour development.

Representative airflow visualisation

Relative pressure · qualitative visualisation · no numeric field values

DESIGNED FOR INTEGRATION

Part of a wider counter-UAS system.

Alien can receive initial target information from a wider detection or mission-management system before switching to onboard visual pursuit. Radar, optical detection, launch stations, ground control, and multi-interceptor coordination remain integration possibilities rather than completed standard features.

  • Radar Possible integration
  • Optical detection systems Possible integration
  • Ground-control software Possible integration
  • External tracking systems Possible integration
  • Launch stations Possible integration
  • Mission-management platforms Possible integration
  • Multi-interceptor coordination Possible integration

COMPACT AIRFRAME

The pursuit system, separated into view.

The exploded view maps the current development model into its airframe, propulsion, power, sensing, communication, and flight-control assemblies. Functional labels describe system roles without asserting a final internal production arrangement.

  • Optical sensor
  • Onboard computer
  • Flight controller
  • IMU
  • Communications module
  • Propulsion
  • Power system
  • Carbon-fibre or 3D-printed airframe

Engineering dimensions pending

TECHNICAL STATUS

Development status, stated directly.

Prototype flight is demonstrated; autonomous interception is demonstrated in simulation. Physical autonomous interception and unreleased performance specifications remain separate.

Technical status
CapabilityStatus
Gazebo interceptor simulationDemonstrated
Moving aerial target simulationDemonstrated
Camera-based target detectionDemonstrated
Persistent visual trackingDemonstrated
ArduPilot SITL integrationDemonstrated
Autonomous interceptionDemonstrated in simulation
Physical flying prototypeFlight demonstrated
Physical autonomous interceptionPlanned
Published performance specificationsNot yet released

DENEB SYSTEMS

Autonomous aircraft and the intelligence behind them.

Deneb Systems develops UAV platforms, computer-vision systems, and autonomous-flight software. Its work combines aircraft engineering, real-time tracking, edge processing, simulation, and mission-control technology to create integrated unmanned systems. Alien represents Deneb Systems' interceptor and counter-UAS development direction.

Visit deneb-systems.com