Passive Defense

Passive Defense

Understanding Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Countermeasures Against Their Threats in Urban Environments (Case Study: Shahid Mahallati Residential Complex, Shahid Chamran Residential Complex, and Sarv Residential Complex of Shahid Beheshti University)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Abolfazl Ghorbani 1
Behzadfar Mostafa 2
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Art and Architecture, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran.
2 Professor, Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
10.47176/pd.2026.1616
Abstract
The increase in aerial threats of a military nature, particularly Remotely Piloted Vehicles / Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs / drones), against urban infrastructure has become a fundamental challenge for governments. A structured approach to countering these emerging threats requires a precise understanding of their nature and operational strategies within the multidimensional urban battlefield. This applied study was conducted to re-evaluate the characteristics of drone-based threats and formulate multilayered defense strategies to enhance the physical resilience of urban settlements. Employing a mixed-methods (quantitative-qualitative) approach and using the "backcasting" method to analyze vulnerabilities, data were collected and analyzed through documentary research and field observations across three residential complexes (Shahid Mahallati, Shahid Chamran, and Sarv Complex). The findings demonstrate that effective urban defense necessitates combining "immediate" and "long-term" measures. Immediate measures include deploying physical barrier systems (such as flexible nets and rigid grids) to neutralize the kinetic energy of the projectile prior to impact. Conversely, long-term measures focus on institutionalizing physical passive defense across two dimensions: in the "surface space" dimension, establishing designated air corridors for authorized traffic and locating critical buildings away from main thoroughfares are proposed to hinder the visual navigation of attacking aircraft during satellite navigation system disruptions. In the "above-surface space" dimension, solutions are provided across three scales: at the urban block scale, utilizing heterogeneous height codes to restrict aircraft maneuvers and prevent laser-locking of guided weapons; at the building scale, designing asymmetrical forms and complex facades to induce visual ambiguity; and at the building component scale, implementing sacrificial walls (to disrupt delay-fused munitions), using cast-in-place reinforced concrete (to dissipate blast waves), and applying reflective or rough materials to deflect and scatter guided missile signals.

Keywords
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)Airspace Management
Urban Battlefield
Surface Space
Super Surface
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Passive Defense
Volume 17, Issue 2 - Serial Number 66
Serial number 66. Summer 2026
Summer 2026
Pages 145-166

  • Receive Date 27 December 2025
  • Revise Date 14 June 2026
  • Accept Date 13 July 2026
  • Publish Date 23 July 2026