Conceptualizing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Countermeasures against their Threats in Urban Environments (Case Study: Shahid Mahalati Town, Shahid Chamran Town, and Shahid Beheshti University’s Sarv Complex)

Here is the English translation of the abstract. The paragraph structure has been preserved, and the word count is well under the 500-word limit.



In recent years, the escalation of military aerial threats against urban infrastructure, alongside the necessity of finding strategies to identify and counter them, has become a fundamental challenge for governments. Among these, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) pose a novel challenge; confronting them systematically requires a precise understanding of their nature and operational strategies in multidimensional urban warfare. The current research aims to identify the characteristics of drone threats and propose multi-layered defensive strategies to enhance the physical resilience of urban settlements. Given the operational nature of the proposed strategies, this study is categorized as applied research.



To this end, this study was conducted using a mixed-methods (quantitative-qualitative) approach and utilized a retrospective analysis method to trace and analyze vulnerabilities. The research data were collected and analyzed through documentary and library studies, as well as field observations and investigations of three residential complexes (Shahid Mahallati Town, Shahid Chamran Town, and Sarv Complex).



Research findings indicate that effective defense in urban environments requires the integration of "immediate" and "long-term" measures. Regarding immediate measures, the study recommends employing physical blocking systems proportional to the mass and velocity of the projectile—such as flexible nets and rigid grids—to neutralize the kinetic energy of the threat prior to impact. Conversely, long-term measures take a macro perspective to institutionalize physical defense requirements within the city. In the dimension of surface space, establishing separate air corridors for authorized transit and locating sensitive buildings far from main thoroughfares renders the attacker's visual navigation systems ineffective in the event of GPS disruption. Emphasizing this approach, physical strategies in the above-ground dimension are articulated across three scales. At the urban block scale, avoiding uniform height codes and utilizing heterogeneous patterns are proposed to prevent laser lock-on and restrict the maneuvering paths of aircraft. At the building scale, designing structures with asymmetrical, irregular, and multifaceted geometric forms, coupled with complex facades, is suggested to create visual ambiguity and disrupt target identification. Finally, at the scale of building elements and exterior envelopes, the study emphasizes using multi-layered and sacrificial roofs and walls to disrupt delayed-action munition fuses, applying cast-in-place reinforced concrete to repel blast waves, and incorporating reflective materials (such as flat glass and plexiglass panels) or uneven surfaces to deflect, attenuate, and scatter the returning laser signals to the sensors of guided missiles.