Dynamics and Experimental Validation of a UAV-Borne Flexible Net for Intercepting Low, Slow, and Small Targets

The escalating security risks associated with unauthorized unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in advancing smart cities necessitate the development of robust active countermeasures. This work presents a novel approach centered on a UAV-borne flexible net system and provides a rigorous investigation into its complex nonlinear dynamics. This study establishes a lumped-mass, semi-spring–damper dynamic model of the flexible capture net, characterizing its key dynamic properties, including deployment performance, aerodynamic attitude, and the high-impact phenomena of collision and entanglement with the target UAV. To verify the reliability of the proposed method, numerical simulations are combined with field tests for systematic validation. Comparative analysis reveals excellent quantitative agreement, with over 80% conformity in the net’s spatial configuration between simulated and experimental results. This paper illuminates the fundamental principles governing energy dissipation and transient tension dynamics pre- and post-capture. This study provides preliminary evidence for the feasibility of the proposed method and identifies key directions for future investigation. The findings offer guidance for the design and optimization of future systems intended to neutralize low, slow, and small (LSS) aerial threats.