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11 Sep 23. Echodyne launched its latest product line, Spydar, at DSEI. SpydarCam – HBS and Echodyne have collaborated to bring the best-in-class 4D Echoguard radar and state of the art video processing together to provide an intuitive stand-off portable, deployable, covert surveillance and forward observation solution. SpydarCam contains 3x12MP full colour, high sensitive machine vision cameras with high quality lenses providing a 120 x 60 degree HD real time panorama image.
SpydarView – HBS and Cambridge Pixel have collaborated to provide an intuitive SpydarView C2 HMI with auto target detection and visualisation. The SpydarView C2 software is a very simple to use viewer application which presents the track view from the EchoGuard radar, with the live panoramic view from the high performance 4K colour cameras, and a zoomed area at full resolution, driven by selected track or touch indication on the panoramic view.
11 Sep 23. Germany and Switzerland Strengthen Cooperation on “Cognitive Radar.” Germany and Switzerland are strengthening their cooperation in the field of cognitive radars. Using artificial intelligence, a cognitive radar learns to autonomously adapt its own emission patterns to the external environment.
Germany is an important research partner for Switzerland, and the collaboration between the two countries was further developed and consolidated this summer. Indeed, Switzerland, represented by armasuisse Science et technologies (S+T), and Germany, represented by the Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support of the Bundeswehr (BAAINBw), have signed a technical execution agreement for the “Cognitive Radar” project.
Strengthening cooperation
Over the next four years, armasuisse S+T and BAAINBw will carry out joint trials around the cognitive radar project in a total of five work packages. This bilateral scientific collaboration in the field of cognitive radars aims in particular to strengthen cooperation between the two partners through tests, studies and measurements.
Role of algorithms
This includes testing how existing learning and optimization algorithms can be adapted to a radar network. The project will also investigate how these algorithms can be used in real time in an already existing radar network of armasuisse S+T.
Another work package of this four-year collaboration will ask how to counter these very agile cognitive radars in the context of electronic warfare. Therefore, measurement data from common experiments must be evaluated in terms of automated signal analysis and description.
Outlook
During these four years, armasuisse S+T and the BAAINBw will meet at least once a year to draw up the work packages. This collaboration will begin in September 2023. Then, the meetings will take place alternately in Germany and Switzerland. Finally, the results will be documented in a final report, which will also mark the end of this agreement.
What is cognitive radar?
A cognitive radar is able to autonomously learn and adapt its emission patterns to its environment. Thanks to artificial intelligence, it can thus adapt the possible emission patterns from one target object to another or automatically detect and suppress spurious signals. However, many questions remain unanswered about the performance of these modern and very agile radars. (Unofficial translation by Defense-Aerospace. (Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/ Defence Procurement Agency, rmasuisse)
11 Sep 23. Easy Aerial and Asio Technologies offer integrated nav system for GNSS-denied operations, Making the drone defence conundrum slightly more challenging, Easy Aerial and Asio Technologies have combined efforts to integrate the latter’s NavGuard optical navigation system into UAS, assuring their ability to operate in GNSS-denied environments.
The collaboration enables Easy Aerial to continue expanding its range of capabilities for military-grade Drone-in-a-Box solutions, thereby meeting the growing demand for more flexible UAS operations in the context of the increase in deployment of active counter-UAS solutions. The company suggests, in a recent press release, the capability has been a direct response to operator demand for enhanced reliability in austere conditions. NavGuard offers real-time geo-referencing of optical video streams to generate accurate low-latency positioning, thus overcoming the efforts to counter UAS operations by creating zones in which GNSS access is denied. For more information: www.easyaerial.com and www.asiotech.com (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
08 Sep 23. Dublin Airport authorised to use Dedrone C-UAS technology in wake of major disruption. Plagued by drones to the extent of major disruptions to scheduled services earlier this year, Dublin Airport operator, DAA, has now been given the go-ahead by the Irish government to deploy Dedrone C-UAS technology.
In March, six drone incursions into DAA-controlled airspace caused huge (and expensive) disruption to services, with some passengers diverted to airports up to 200km away and airlines up in arms over delays, diversions and expense. The events affected an estimated 200,000 passengers during the period of disrupted activity. It now appears that DAA had already procured quantities of Dedrone’s detection, identification and mitigation solutions, but have only now received the legal authority to deploy and use it from Ireland’s Ministry of Communications.
The root cause of the delay seems to centre on the understandable necessity to exercise sensible control over who can use the electromagnetic spectrum to essentially ‘fry’ the electronics of an airborne platform, no matter how disruptive that platform might be. It does beg the question for peer authorities in other jurisdictions, however, whether a method of streamlining and accelerating the decision-making process can be made in light of the economic and social havoc uncontrolled drone activity can have.
DAA staff – already trained in the use of the Dedrone equipment – will now be able to use it on demand – legally. Although the operator has reiterated its warning that it is illegal to operate a drone within 5km of any Irish airport, the ability to be able to detect, locate and neutralise such activity when it occurs will do much to ensure Irish air traffic management continues on a smooth path. For more information: www.dedrone.com (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
08 Sep 23. G&H highlighted advanced precision optics and Artemis acquisition at DSEI 2023. Emphasising the breadth of its advanced precision optics, G&H will use defence and security exhibition DSEI in London next week to showcase G&H|Artemis for the first time in public since the acquisition completed in July.
The company’s solutions play a critical role in the functionality and efficiency of a myriad defence applications, including directed energy weapons (DEW) and sighting/targeting systems. G&H has a substantial portfolio of work in the DEW field, including High Laser Damage Threshold optics, next-generation bonding and mounting techniques and full Finite Element Analysis – elements essential to successful future deployment of laser-based systems. “G&H continues to be well placed to meet the demanding requirements of defence and our recent strategic acquisitions of GS Optics and Artemis have only served to strengthen this further,” said G&H CEO, Charlie Peppiatt.
G&H|Kent will offer visitors glimpses into the world of armoured fighting vehicle optics, including the Embedded Image Periscope and Gunner Auxiliary Sight it is supplying to the British Challenger 3 programme. New Hampshire-based G&H|Stingray will showcase its abilities in digital optics, now playing critical roles in ISTAR missions and fire control for kinetic effects – particularly its wide range of optical coatings, assemblies and subsystems. The latest acquisition, G&H|Artemis, will emphasise its capabilities in military laser protection filters, which set new standards for optical protection in defence and support the company’s evolution to becoming the G&H Centre of Excellence for coating capabilities worldwide. For more information: https://gandh.com
(Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
07 Sep 23. OpenWorks and Robin Radar develop fully autonomous on-the-move C-UAS. OpenWorks Engineering and Robin Radar Systems have collaborated to conduct the first customer demonstration of a fully autonomous C-UAS on-the-move (OTM) capability. Combining a stabilized AI-powered EO/IR sensor with an AI 3D radar, the solution will be shown in public during the DSEI defence and security event in London next week.
The highly configurable optical system – Vario Flex – can be used in static and vehicle-mounted applications, making use of INS, dual-GPS and a custom-balanced gyro mount in the latter case, allowing for precision slew-to-cue and close target tracking. At long ranges, target identification is further facilitated by the use of AI classification.
IRIS is a 3D counter-drone radar. Now with added OTM capability, it can detect and classify drones while its host vehicle is moving at up to 100km/h, providing height information, direction and position, offering operators early warning and increased reaction time.
“There was high repeatability in autonomous slew-to-cues, both at high speed and during complex manoeuvres,” said Chris Down, OpenWorks Engineering Managing Director of the demonstration.
“This integration shows how fast two-step drone classification can be, especially when using radar detection to close in optical tracking,” said Robin Radar Systems’ Chief Commercial Officer, Marcel Verdonk. “With the addition of proven on-the- move-capability, this unique integration will especially benefit military and police end-users who need to protect vehicle convoys and personnel while on the move”.
Both systems are already used in integrated C-UAS applications in multiple nations. The new combination offering OTM functionality, with all that implies for operators, was prominent on the OpenWorks Engineering stand at DSEI 2023 in ExCeL, 11-15 September.
For more information: www.openworksengineering.com and www.robinradar.com (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
06 Sep 23. Poland unveils solution for drone-on-drone warfare at MSPO 2023. The Łukasiewicz Institute of Aviation has unveiled the HAASTA UAS at the MSPO defence exhibition in Kielce this week. Developed in collaboration with Eurotech in Italy and inspired by combat experience in recent conflicts (meaning Ukraine, which Poland studies avidly), the innovative, hybrid-powered UAS fills most of the traditional UAS missions – cargo, ISR etc. – but the version on display at MSPO is configured for the counter-UAS role.
For deployment as a single unmanned ‘fighter’ or in a swarm, the HAASTA is armed with a belly-mounted 5.45mm machinegun. It was designed to penetrate modern air defences and deep in hostile territory, and in accordance with the new STANAG 4703 governing fixed-wing UAS. The 13-foot airframe is powered by a 20HP ICE-electric hybrid engine, offering speeds up to 170mph , a ceiling of over 20,000 feet and an operating radius of up to 170 kilometres.
The Institute states that HAASTA has already successfully passed a battery of demanding flight tests, but that the conceptual design stage continues to evolve as potential customer demand is being solicited.
For more information: Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Aviation (lukasiewicz.gov.pl)(Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
06 Sep 23. Lockheed Martin to scale laser to 500kW power level, aiming at C-UAS missions inter alia. Lockheed Martin is to take a huge step forward with its high-energy laser weapon systems, scaling its next iteration to 500kW output – the most powerful laser the company has produced.
The announcement comes on the heels of the recent delivery of the Lockheed Martin 300kW-class laser to US DoD under the second phase of the Department’s High Energy Laser Scaling Initiative (HELSI). The aim is to increase the power level while simultaneously achieving excellent beam quality and optimising size, weight, volume and efficiency. Ultimately, proving this capability will reduce risk for DoD’s Defense acquisition and fielding of high-powered laser weapon systems for all six military branches.
“The 500-kW laser will incorporate our successes from the 300-kW system and lessons learned from legacy programs to further prove the capability to defend against a range of threats,” said Rick Cordaro, VP of Mission Systems & Weapons.
The 500-kW device will be tactically configured, using Lockheed Martin’s proven spectral beam combined architecture to support military platforms, and will incorporate DoD’s Modular Open System Approach (MOSA) standards to ensure interoperability and multi-mission integration. Combining much greater power than current solutions with the deep magazine capability of laser weapons makes the next solution to emerge from the Lockheed Martin laser stable an attractive proposition for planners and operators.
For more information: www.lockheedmartin.com/de(Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
06 Sep 23. Excelerate Technology and Digital Global Systems partner to provide enhanced drone detection technologies. Excelerate Technology, which provides hybrid connectivity and systems integration to the public sector, and Digital Global Services (DGS), developer of a next-generation software platform for wireless deployment, have joined forces to market the latter company’s CLEARSKY Drone Threat Management (DTM) system to government, civil defence and emergency management agencies.
The vehicle-mounted or fixed installation CLEARSKY system enables operators to detect drones in a spectrum from 70MHz to 6GHz, without relying on a drone signature library. It provides anomalous signal detection and multiple geolocation techniques for any signal of interest in that range, including unintentional interference, intentional signal disruption (jamming) and encroachment of communications in protected areas as well as drones. It combines machine learning with real-time analysis of signal characteristics, enabling rapid detection of drones and other anomalous activities, and is frequency agnostic, allowing for detection outside of traditional operational frequency bands.
Excelerate’s solutions provide communication and enhanced situational awareness, even in the absence of terrestrial networks.. DTM complements Excelerate’s offering, detecting, classifying and locating drones within the swept spectrum in as little as two seconds and using patented geolocation techniques for more effective results.
The partners will showcase their combined expertise at the Emergency Services Show in Birmingham, 19-20 September.
For more information: www.excelerate-group.com (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
06 Sep 23. Hensoldt showcased innovative C-UAS sensor solutions at DSEI 2023. At the DSEI defence and security exhibition in London, sensor house Hensoldt focused visitor attention on a range of innovative solutions to provide operators with situational awareness across all domains. On the ground – the domain most relevant to the C-UAS community – the Multi Utility Vehicle (MUV) will have the Multifunctional Self-Defence System (MUSS) embarked as well as the See-Through Armour System (SETAS). In addition, the company’s Ceretron solution combines sensors, fusing their data streams and processing them quickly, providing an AI-supported operational picture to vehicle crews and enabling faster, smarter decision-making.
The capabilities of ground-based radar are further enhanced by Hensoldt’s TwinSens solution. Combining its own TRML-40 air defence radar and Twinvis passive radar, the powerful solution protects air defence systems against hostile interference by reducing active emissions and thereby reducing the possibility of detection. Portable battlefield radar sensors from the SPEXER family will also be on display, designed to deliver early, precise detection and target classification data for effective engagement of asymmetric threats. For more information: www.hensoldt.net (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
05 Sep 23. SCD highlighted new IR detection and imagining capabilities at DSEI. SCD showed a range of advanced solutions it will highlight for visitors. Solutions on display will include:
- The SWIFT-EI short-wave IR (SWIR) detector integrates event-based imaging capabilities for 24/7 situational awareness, offering advanced FPA-level detection and two parallel video channels in a single sensor: standard imaging SWIR and very high frame event imaging;
- The Crane 5-micron, 5 mega-pixel IR detector aimed at EO/IR applications provides persistent surveillance from cost-effective tactical platforms such as UAS, drones, and other airborne platforms;
- The Sparrow family of medium-wave IR (MWIR) video engines, already in widespread use in tactical EO/IR applications, responds to the increasing demand for low size, weight and power consumption (SWaP) characteristics and are designed to cater to the evolving needs of a variety of demanding operators.
“In today’s dynamic battlefield landscape, characterised by precision, versatility, and real-time situational awareness, SCD’s latest innovations [empower] tactical forces with unmatched functionality, [such] as laser source detection, Hostile Fire Indication (HFI), and more, ensuring augmented combat effectiveness,” said Shai Fishbeing, SCD’s VP Business Development & Marketing. “These innovations not only fulfill the demands of the modern battlefield, but also redefine the potential of infrared technology in defence and beyond”. For more information: www.scd.co.il (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
04 Sep 23. InfiniDome live demo of GPS anti-jamming solutions tailored for UAV protection at DSEI 2023. InfiniDome showed live demonstrations of its anti-jamming solutions at DSEI, 12-14 September in London. InfiniDome’s solutions are tailored to defend UAVs and vehicles from GNSS jamming attacks. According to the press release, the live demo taking place at infiniDome’s booth will enable visitors to participate in an immersive hands-on demonstration of infiniDome’s C-SWaP (Cost, Size, Weight and Power) optimized anti-jamming solutions. The attendees will be able to see infiniDome’s anti-jamming solutions protecting a GNSS receiver from jammers, using real (emulated) GNSS signals and real jamming signals, all in a Faraday cage suitcase developed by infiniDome.
Also at their stand, infiniDome will be showcasing its product line for resilient navigation specifically targeting unmanned aerial vehicles and ground vehicles used in real-world defence operations relying on navigation resiliency. For more information visit: www.infinidome.com (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
08 Sep 23. India’s Grene Robotics launches “world’s first autonomous wide area C-UAS system.” India’s Grene Robotics has launched what it calls “the world’s only autonomous wide-area anti-drone or counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS)” – Indrajaal.
According to the Deccan Chronicle: “Indrajaal, an advancement in drone defence technology, was unveiled in Hyderabad in the presence of Uttarakhand Governor Lt. Gen. (retd) Gurmit Singh on Saturday, with Grene Robotics also commencing its demonstration. Officials said that this is the world’s only autonomous wide-area anti-drone or counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS). They said it would change the standing of India in the landscape of defence technology, as this is the world’s only anti-drone system capable of protecting against micro, mini, small, large and extra-large drones.
“The company said the development comes against the backdrop of India encountering a significant surge in hostile UAV activity over the past two years, with several attempts made to drop weapons, money and narcotics across international borders.”
According to the company’s website, Indrajaal is a network of sensors and mitigation systems designed to detect and mitigate the full range of drone threats, in civil and military environments.
For more information: https://www.deccanchronicle.com/technology/in-other-news/020923/worlds-only-counter-drone-tech-indrajaal-unveiled-in-city.html; https://indiaai.gov.in/article/protecting-critical-infrastructure-assessing-the-vulnerability-of-drone-targets; https://grenerobotics.com/#grene-os
https://grenerobotics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/grene-DOME-aka-Indrajaal-Drone-Defence-Dome_compressed_compressed.pdf (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
11 Sep 23. USAF issues RFI for C-UAS systems with satellite navigation attack capabilities. The US Air Force has issued a request to industry to supply counter-UAS systems with satellite navigation attack capabilities.
“The acquisition of four (x4) Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (cUAS) with Satellite Navigation Attack which provides the capability to bolster and fulfill surveillance, base security requirements along with defeating air threats and unpredictable nature of today’s criminal and terrorist threats, the 55th SFS is specifically looking for new and improved detection and defeat capabilities against a rapidly growing technology-based threat.
“Having a mobile, rapidly deployable, long-range, high-power battery powered Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (cUAS) with Satellite Navigation Attack bolsters the layered security of the installation and grants the protection against dron s armed with spoofing technology to fool our current systems. Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (cUAS) with Satellite Navigation Attack is the most effective measure to provide quick response for incidents both on the flightline, mass parking areas and across the installation along with our assets as they travel.
“Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (cUAS) with Satellite Navigation Attack are vital for force protection, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) drones, anti-terrorism, and installation defense needs and enhance/compliment the use of the Negation of Improvised Non-State Joint Aerial system.” Deadline for submissions is September 22, 2023. For more information: https://sam.gov/opp/737446717f524cf288dfeb7a378d0f1e/view (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
13 Sep 23. UK defense leaders to craft guardrails for buying drones. Britain’s Ministry of Defence will intensify efforts to equip the armed forces with unmanned capabilities, a top procurement official said at DSEI.
Defence Procurement Minister James Cartlidge told hundreds of military and industry officials attending a speech opening the event that the Government intends to produce a strategy document covering the drone sector.
In part, the move was aimed at accelerating the introduction of the weapon class into the military, he said.
“We will be bringing forward an uncrewed systems strategy in the coming months. It’s hugely important. It will help accelerate UK armed forces’ access to uncrewed systems and rapidly equipping them with innovative technology across air, sea and land,” Cartlidge said.
MoD officials said the strategy will likely be published around the end of the year.
It’s the latest in a rash of strategy documents recently produced by the MoD across land, air and sea domains.
Analysts believe the newest document will likely consider industrial and military aspects related drones, including the question of when the government should develop them or buy them off-the-shelf.
British Army Chief Gen. Patrick Sanders shed a little more light on the growing influence of the systems on MoD strategy in a speech later in the day.
“By the end of this year, we will form a new UAS group within a reorientated Joint Aviation Command,” he said. “This expanded JAC remit will bring deep expertise and the coherence that the new defense uncrewed strategy requires, and it’ll provide a focal point for industry around which we intend to develop the next generation of UAS platforms in even closer partnership.”
By coincidence , or maybe not, leading British defense companies BAE Systems and Qinetiq used the first day of the DSEI show to announce they had signed a framework agreement to look at collaborating in the drone and associated mission management systems sector.
Qinetiq also announced it was developing a low-cost, disposable, jet-powered drone called Jackdaw which could be available by around the middle of the decade. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
15 Sep 23. U.S. and Saudi Arabia Conduct Combined Counter-UAS Exercise. Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, commander, U.S. Central Command, and Gen. Fayyad al-Ruwali, Chief of General Staff, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, along with other leaders from both militaries, observed the second exercise iteration by the Red Sands Integrated Experimentation Center. Red Sands 23.2 highlighted the significant progress the two nations have made toward defeating Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) that pose a threat from adversaries.
Red Sands 23.2 is the culmination of months of rapid prototyping and continued development building off the earlier exercise. This iteration of Red Sands included training, operational demonstrations, and testing of nine systems employing various kinetic and non-kinetic techniques to destroy or disable UAS’.
“Rapid development sprints, as demonstrated in Red Sands 23. 2, allow us to tackle the most challenging military problems and realize solutions to emergent threats more rapidly than traditional development,” said Gen. Kurilla. “Doing this in conjunction with our close Saudi partners, adds to the effectiveness of this developing technique and allows us to achieve our goals faster.”
From the U.S. side, the U.S. Army Central Task Force 39 led the Red Sands 23.2 live fire phase at the Shamal-2 Range in northeastern Saudi Arabia. TF 39’s mission is finding and testing innovative capabilities and techniques to counter adversary UAS for U.S. Army Central. In partnership with their Saudi counterparts, TF 39 worked with both military and commercial vendors to demonstrate and test the most promising emergent capabilities aimed at countering these systems.
“The UAS threat is real, and the Red Sands Integrated Experimentation Center represents a significant step, not only in defeating UAS threats, but in demonstrating a shared commitment to regional security by both Saudi and U.S. forces,” said Gen. Kurilla. “This also highlights the value CENTCOM component innovation task forces provide to solving shared security concerns.”
Future iterations of Red Sands exercises will build on successes and knowledge gained in Red Sands 23.2 by U.S. and Saudi Armed Forces as they continue to work together to solve challenging military problems.
(Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/US Centcom)
14 Sep 23. Apex, IMSAR sign MOU to provide ISR services. Taiwan’s Apex Aviation and Utah-based IMSAR have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at the Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition 2023 (TADTE 2023) to provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) services to the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) of Taiwan.
IMSAR will integrate its NSP-7 radar system into Tecnam’s P2012 Sentinel Special Mission Platform (SMP) aircraft procured by Apex to support ISR operations, Richard Weir, vice-president of International Business Development at IMSAR told Janes .
The CEO of Apex, Wilson Kao, told Janes that Apex currently operates two P2012 Sentinel SMPs and plans to acquire at least six more from Tecnam.
All the aircraft will be equipped with NSP-7 radars, 15-inch electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) camera balls, and automatic identification system (AIS) receivers as well as undergo communications upgrades to provide wide area maritime domain awareness (MDA) to users, Weir said.
(Source: Janes)
14 Sep 23. Department of Homeland Security Completes Testing of Sentrycs Counter-UAS Solution for a Swarm of Drones.
Sentrycs, the technology leader in integrated counter-UAS technology, recently participated in the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) anti-swarm tests. During a series of rigorous tests last month in Oklahoma, Sentrycs successfully demonstrated its ability to simultaneously detect and track multiple drones, operating at diverse ranges, altitudes, and speeds. It completed multiple scenarios:
- Individual and multiple drones flying in various formations up to 2.5 km (1.6 miles) away and 500 meters (1,640 ft) high
- Safe drone mitigation; distinguishing authorized from unauthorized drones; tracking DJI, Autel, and Parrot drones simultaneously; tracking and mitigating the only 4G-enabled commercial drone
- Outside the planned test and demo, several other drones were detected and tracked flying 12km to 25km away
Sentrycs’ technology is based on Protocol Analytics, which enables safe and dependable detection, tracking, and identification of commercial, DIY and manipulated drones, ensuring zero false alarms and no disruption to other communication signals. Additionally, it can facilitate the secure takeover of unauthorized drones, safely guiding them to a controlled landing or directing them back to their point of origin, while leaving authorized drones unaffected.
As was demonstrated in the tests, the system is not sensitive to the proximity of the drones to each other, the altitude they are flying at, or their speed.
Yoav Zaltzman, CEO of Sentrycs highlighted that, “Sentrycs’ showcase at the recent DHS testing scenario in Oklahoma is a testament to the technological breakthroughs we keep pushing for and our relentless drive for excellence. The consistent and reliable results our system delivered underscore the transformative potential of our technology in the face of drone threats in general, and drone swarms in particular.”
Official report inquiries should be made to DHS directly.
About Sentrycs:
Sentrycs is a leader in integrated counter-drone solutions, supported by innovative technology designed to identify, mitigate and where necessary, intercept unauthorized drones custom-built for various environments – including airports, borders, prisons, critical infrastructure and mass events. Founded in 2017, Sentrycs’ has offices in Israel and the US, serving customers worldwide. By uniting its field-proven technology and expertise in global drone environments, Sentrycs is leading the way towards a safer and more secure drone-driven future. Learn more at www.sentrycs.com (Source: PR Newswire)
15 Sep 23. Polish radar and C-UAS specialist, APS, showed BATTLESPACE its comprehensive range of C-UAS systems, many of which are in service in Ukraine.
“We design and build a top-class comprehensive system for detection, tracking and neutralization of small aerial vehicles.” |APS told BATTLESPACE Editor Julian Nettlefold
Comprehensive anti-drone systems
Skyctrl
Field-proven military-grade technology
Instrumented range 7 – 50km
Minimum detection range 1m
Maximum detection range 2 – 10km
Range accuracy 10 – 1m
Range resolution 6 – 3m
Minimum target altitude 1m
Maximum target altitude 7 – 50km
Azimuth/elevation 90°-20°/60°-10°
Frequency X-Band
Technologies AESA/MIMO
Tx output power (peak) 8W – 24 W
WiFi detection 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz
The system is available in stationary, portable and mobile versions
- Modular and fully-configurable radar sensor,
- 3D MIMO radar technology for improved performance,
- Radar tracking based on MHT (multi-hypothesis tracking) algorithm,
- Acoustic sensor with the direction-finding capability,
- RF sensor with the whitelisting capability,
- Fully-integrated and automated proprietary jammer for drone neutralization,
- Dedicated web-based C2 (command and control) application for monitoring, configuration and controlling the system.
Fieldctrl
Ultra precise 3D MIMO radars
FIELDctrl
Instrumented range: 50 km
Minimum detection range: 1m
Maximum detection range
Micro UAVs – RCS 0.01 m2: 10km
Pedestrian – RCS 0.5 m2: 15km
Light vehicle – RCS 2.0 m2: 25km
Boat – RCS 5.0 m2: 30 km
Low-level helicopter – RCS 5.0 m2: 30 km
Range accuracy / Range resolution: 1m/3m
Minimum/maximum target altitude: 1m/50km
Coverage, azimuth/elevation: 20°/10°
Frequency: X-Band
Technologies: AESA/MIMO
Instrumented range: 7 km
Minimum detection range: 1 m
Maximum detection range
Micro UAVs – RCS 0.01 m2: 2 km
Pedestrian – RCS 0.5 m2: 3 km
Light vehicle – RCS 2.0 m2: 5 km
Boat – RCS 5.0 m2: 7 km
Low-level helicopter – RCS 5.0 m2: 7 km
Range accuracy / Range resolution: 10m/6m
Minimum/maximum target altitude: 1m/7km
Coverage, azimuth/elevation: 90°/45°
Frequency: X-Band
Technologies: AESA/MIMO
Armada reported that APS Provides Jamming or Kinetic Stopping Power Against Drones. Advanced Protection Systems (APS) showcased its counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) SKYctrl at MSPO over the coming days.
“Radar technology is what we know best,” states Maciej Klemm, the CEO and joint founder of Polish Advanced Protection Systems speaking to Armada International in London a few weeks before the event.
APS was founded in 2015 as a radar and software developer and currently has 150 employees, although this is expected to rise as business has been growing. The incident of drones flying over the sensitive airspace around seven French nuclear power stations in October 2014 gave Klemm and his partner the idea of developing a counter drone system.
The founders gained their experience in numerous areas from breast cancer scanning early in Klemm’s career, through to work on ground penetrating radar. There were also contracts with the European Defence Agency (EDA) relating to radar signal processing.
As the threat from UAS climbs steeply, in military applications as see extensively in the Ukraine War, and as a threat to critical civilian infrastructure, the proprietary radar solution developed by APS has become quicker and more precise at identifying and classifying small UAS, including those that are both low and slow as well as the smaller but faster versions. The jammer can then The system can be used for force protection, ground based air defence (GBAD) and for protecting critical infrastructure.
SKYctrl has been tested with a 30mm remote control weapon from MSI-Defence, a British company, that allows UAS to be targeted and destroyed. In short, the SKYctrl can be used to jam or destroy a wide range of drones in virtually any weather condition.
One of the company’s current development projects is aimed at continuing to improve the detection of Class 1 UAS at a range of up to eight kilometres. A containerised version comprising four radars can offer force protection over 3kms.
12 Sep 23. USAF receives first new Compass Call electronic warfare plane. The U.S. Air Force has received its first EC-37B Compass Call electronic warfare aircraft from contractors BAE Systems and L3Harris Technolgies, industry officials announced Tuesday.
BAE Systems said in a release that the Air Force will next start combined developmental and operational testing for this Compass Call, the first of 10 aircraft planned for the Air Force.
The new EC-37B fleet will replace Air Combat Command’s decades-old EC-130 aircraft, which the service is now retiring. BAE builds the electronic attack components of the new Compass Call in Hudson, New Hampshire, and L3Harris integrates that mission-specific hardware into a Gulfstream G550 business jet at its facility in Waco, Texas.
The Compass Call will conduct a variety of electronic warfare missions to jam enemy signals, including communications, radar and navigation systems. BAE said this will include suppressing enemy air defenses by blocking their ability to transmit information between weapon systems and command-and-control networks.
In a roundtable at the Air and Space Forces Association’s Air Space and Cyber conference here, ACC Commander Gen. Mark Kelly said the EC-37B’s jamming capabilities will protect friendly ships and aircraft from enemy attack, and allow them to get closer to their targets.
The EC-37B’s mission and capabilities won’t be wildly different from the EC-130, Kelly said, especially since the Air Force updated the older Compass Call’s capabilities.
But the altitude and speed improvements that will come with the EC-37B will make it a considerable step up from its predecessor, Kelly said. The EC-130 has a ceiling of 25,000 feet and can fly at up to 300 miles per hour. G550s can fly past 40,000 feet and nearly twice that speed, which an L3Harris executive in 2021 said would allow the EC-37B to be able to target a greater range of enemy activities.
The EC-130 also is worn out, Kelly said, and the Air Force needs the EC-37 “yesterday.”
“There comes a point of every piece of equipment’s lifespan, we’ve squeezed every last drop of combat capability out of it,” Kelly said. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
11 Sep 23. UK, Italy, Japan companies eye novel sensor mix for GCAP warplane. As the trinational Global Combat Air Program fighter program accelerates, partners Japan, Italy and the U.K. are planning to define the sensor hardware to go onboard the jet by mid-2025 and form a new industrial joint venture to divide up work share, a senior official has told Defense News.
Worth up to 30% of the value of the planned sixth-generation fighter, the radar and other sensors are a key element of the aircraft, which the partners hope to have in service by 2035.
With one eye on that deadline, the firms working on sensor technology — Leonardo UK, Leonardo Italy, Italy’s ELT Group and Japan’s Mitsubishi Electric — are now working toward a key target two years off.
“We are confident we can freeze the hardware and form the joint venture to allocate workshare by mid-2025,” said Andrew Howard, Director Future Combat Air/GCAP UK at Leonardo UK.
“Another aim for 2025 is to reach an understanding with the airframe community about how we will integrate our sensor solution into their airframe,” he said.
A further target is to agree with the fighter’s propulsion team — Rolls Royce, Japan’s IHI and Italy’s Avio — on how much energy the sensor suite will need, he said.
What is already certain is that GCAP’s sensor package will push the envelope. Multi-function sensing nodes that incorporate functions such as radar, electronic warfare and electro-optics, including infrared search and track (IRST), will work together thanks to a so-called Multi-Function Processor (MFP).
“On fourth- and fifth-generation fighters, sensors still work largely in a stovepipe capacity. They share information into a common hub but do not cross check or prioritize information,” said Howard.
“On the GCAP, before data from the sensors is shared with the mission computer, which means the cockpit and the pilot, the Multi-Function Processor is rapidly processing that information and triangulating with any relevant sensor – it is a glue between sensors,” he added.
With data from different sensors coming together “at an incredibly high rate of processing,” the GCAP will offer “a situational battle space awareness far greater than anything achieved previously,” he said.
The overall system, dubbed ISANKE & ICS (Integrated Sensing and Non-Kinetic Effects & Integrated Communications System), will include a radar touted as a step up from the ECRS Mk2 Leonardo UK has worked on for the Eurofighter Typhoon.
Miniaturized radar receivers positioned closer to the radar’s arrays will ensure a much faster digitalization of the incoming signal, reducing data loss, planners say.
Howard said the GCAP radar, known as the Multi-Function Radio Frequency System, is being designed with fewer constraints on size, weight and power required. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
15 Sep 23. Wolfhound’s laser system takes out UAVs for the price of a ‘cup of coffee.’ The Wolfhound armoured vehicle will be integrated with a high-energy laser counter-drone system from Raytheon for the UK MoD.
At the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) 2023, Raytheon presented on 13 September a 15-kilowatt high-energy laser counter-UAV system mounted on the UK Wolfhound armoured vehicle that can eliminate a swarm of three unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in 34 seconds, with each fire having a cost equivalent to a “cup of coffee” according to Jeff Newsom, Raytheon’s business development director for counter-UAV.
The limitless rechargeable magazine and zero-logistics burden of the system make a strong contrast with other technologies. In other layers of air defence the cost of operation vastly exceeds the cost of the UAV they are designed to counter, with the price of individual air-defence missiles higher than that of loitering munitions or repurposed commercial drones.
With the ubiquity of low price drones in conflicts such as the War in Ukraine, layered air defence systems have a place in the future for low operation cost solutions.
Raytheon has taken a proven technology, its multispectral targeting system, of which there are 6000 units already in combat operations, and put the beam director for the high energy system within the combat proven production system.
The level of accuracy for the systems derives is high – allowing to the operator to pick out individual components on the drone to target and reducing collateral damage – as it needs to be to be effective; the high-energy laser system must remain on the target for an average of five seconds to successfully disable the drone, steady pin-point accuracy is essential from the system.
“Many times the drone operator that’s flying the drone has no idea they are being affected in any way until all of a sudden they start losing control,” said Newsom.
Integrating the high-energy laser in the UK
Raytheon was contracted in 2021 to develop the laser for the Wolfhound armoured vehicle as a part of UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) Land Demonstrator programme, and are delivering the first system in tandem with the opening of an advance laser integration centre in Livingstone, Scotland. “The arrival of this transformative technology is an important milestone in our collaboration with the MoD on using directed energy to address a variety of threats, from drones and UAVs to more complex missile systems,” said Julie Finlayson-Odell, managing director of weapons and sensors at Raytheon UK.
Multiple field tests, including those conducted in extreme heat, cold, rain, sleet, and snow, confirmed that the high-energy laser weapon system met its requirements. This system effectively acquired, tracked, targeted, and destroyed dozens of drone targets in short-range assault, swarm attack, and long-range threat scenarios over four days of live-fire exercises in the US earlier in 2023.
Raytheon has delivered a total of eight high-energy laser weapons to the US military, that have then been used to defeat more than 400 targets in 25,000 operational hours, according to a release from the company on 13 September.
“This system is a culmination of decades of investment, research and innovation and its arrival reflects our continued commitment to help fulfil a key strategic objective of the UK’s Integrated Review,” said Finlayson-Odell, “which is to understand how directed energy weapons can safely and effectively operate alongside other elements of the UK’s armed forces.” (Source: army-technology.com)
15 Sep 23. At DSEI MARSS exhibited the latest integrated capabilities to NiDAR. MARSS expands the capability arsenal of NiDAR, its autonomous command and control interface – from robust C-UAS to smart streetlamps.
The Defence Security and Equipment International (DSEI) 2023 exhibition expresses its mission in the tagline: “achieving an integrated force” – a mission that MARSS, a global tech company attending the event, delivers extensively across its NiDAR network.
NiDAR offers a single tactical picture where operators can view and control multi-domain information through a C2 centre interface that integrates intelligence and surveillance streams as well as various types of sensors to provide full situational awareness.
The system can automatically detect, classify, and respond to multi-domain asymmetric threats – including unmanned aerial systems (UASs), fast small craft, divers and mini-submarines. MARSS uses artificial intelligence to power its threat detection tech, alerting users of critical events.
This process reduces the burden on operators and associated human risk factors, providing faster decision-support and allowing for a more rapid and accurate response rate.
Operators can use the system to protect a variety of different and covert military and civil defence complexes, including fixed sites such as submarine ports as well as deployable, expeditionary applications with its C2 centre containers.
At DSEI23, the founder and CEO of MARSS Johannes Pinl stated that MARSS designed this network to “ultimate the response as much as possible, and as fast as possible.”
Swift impact C-UAS drones
The proliferated use of UASs in Ukraine has propelled the market so much that GlobalData intelligence forecasts the market growth from $1.1bn this year to $18.4bn by 2033 – a compound annual growth rate of 5.2% in the next ten years. NiDAR responds to this emerging aerial threat, Pinl stated.
The system’s counter-UAS (C-UAS) fuses multiple surveillance data streams including radar, electro-optical, ADS-B, radio frequency monitoring and intelligence databases to detect UAS threats.
Activities and threats around an asset or complex are autonomously classified via intelligent machine learning before alerting operators with decision support on how best to respond with countermeasures, the weapon systems are similarly intuitive.
MARSS displayed their drone interceptors, which are both due to come out of the R&D phase pof development at the end of this year. This includes a medium-range interceptor, which launched last year, and a new short-range variant revealed on 12 September at the outset of the DSEI exhibition.
Pinl explained that the interceptors are not explosives, but rather hit-to-kill drones on account of the titanium material used to cut through an adversarial UAS.
This new portable solution uses electric propulsion (the system does not need jet fuel). Operators use the interceptors to neutralise class 1 drones at 1km+, operating no longer than approximately five minutes.
new portable, short-range UAS interceptor on 12 September 2023. Credit: MARSS.
Surveillance – within and around a complex
MARSS have also expanded its surveillance in and around the site. Integrated into the wider NiDAR network, RADiRguard – an intelligent all-in-one perimeter surveillance solution – provides 24/7 autonomous monitoring, detection, tracking and decision support in the event of a security incident.
Likewise, MARSS applies the same concept to its ‘smart streetlamps’, which besides the added benefit of public lighting, provides the same surveillance solution around a complex.
In March 2023, MARSS revealed that with a value of over $100m and encompassing the installation and integration of over 100 sensors and effectors, NiDAR will provide complete protection and situational awareness at a complex critical infrastructure site in the Middle East.
Additionally, the Middle East-based country will continue to adopt supplementary kit for its NiDAR network – MARSS will deliver their new C-UAS interceptors by the end of 2023. (Source: army-technology.com)
15 Sep 23. ‘Eyes of the Fleet’ Join HMS Queen Elizabeth for Autumn Deployment. The Royal Navy’s ‘eyes of the fleet’ – enhanced Merlin Mk2 helicopters with powerful radars – have joined the UK’s flagship for her autumn deployment.
Two Airborne Surveillance and Control (ASaC) helicopters, delivered through the Crowsnest programme, have been significantly upgraded with new software ahead of joining HMS Queen Elizabeth.
The UK flagship left Portsmouth on Friday to head north, leading a task group of partner nations and exercising her F-35 Lightning stealth fighters and Merlin helicopters.
Flying more than a mile above the carrier strike group, the ASaC aircraft use their radars, lowered underneath the fuselage in a domed bag – which earns them the nickname ‘Baggers’ in the rest of the rest of the Navy – to look ‘over the horizon’.
The helicopters’ highly-trained crews look for possible air and surface threats – and can be used to coordinate defence and strike operations.
Commander Aidan Riley, who commands the Merlin Helicopter Force, said the system had received “considerable capability enhancements” since Crowsnest debuted on the carrier’s maiden deployment to the Pacific in 2021. “The deployment of this year’s carrier strike group is a significant milestone for our ASaC capability. The helicopters and their crews are an integral part of Merlin Helicopter Force alongside our trusted and hugely experienced antisubmarine warfare experts.”
Each Merlin has a crew of three – one pilot and two observers (the tactical operators) from 820 Naval Air Squadron, which is based at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall. They are embarked alongside the ship’s complement of submarine hunting Merlins and anti-surface warfare Wildcat helicopters.
Commander Riley added: “We have an intensive aircrew training programme in place here at Culdrose which in the last couple of years has introduced a new generation of ‘baggers’ into the fleet. Operating from the carrier and her escorts, the men and women of 820 Naval Air Squadron present a formidable defence, protecting the carrier task group from possible threats above and below the water.”
Keith Bethell, Director Helicopters for Defence Equipment & Support which manages the Crowsnest Programme, said: “We have been working very closely with our industry partners and the Royal Navy to upgrade and mature Crowsnest since it was a key element of the maiden carrier strike group deployment in 2021.
“With mission system software improvements and the operational experience gained by Merlin crews on other deployments last year, it promises to be a valuable wide-area surveillance and threat reduction asset.” (Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/Royal navy)
14 Sep 23. U.S. Resumes ISR Flight Operations in Niger. In Niger, the United States has resumed the flying of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions as part of its force protection efforts.
“We can confirm that the U.S. forces in Niger commenced ISR flight ops to monitor for threats and for force protection,” said Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh during a briefing at the Pentagon today. “The U.S. … always reserves the right to conduct operations to protect our forces and personnel if required.”
The U.S. has more than 1,000 troops in Niger who had been, at least up until July of this year, participating alongside Nigerien troops in counterterrorism operations and security force assistance training.
Those efforts were paused and continue to be paused, following a coup that overthrew Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26.
“The United States has not restarted counterterrorism operations, or any security force assistance training with Niger,” Singh said.
The U.S. has also been moving personnel in the country from Air Base 101 near the capital of Niamey, to Air Base 201 in Agadez, Singh said.
“During that process, of course, we are wanting to make sure that our troops and our equipment is safe,” she said.
Ukraine Defense Contact Group
Next week, Singh said, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley will again participate in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The meeting commences Sept. 18.
“This will be the 15th meeting of the UDCG since Secretary Austin formed the international group in April 2022,” she said. “The secretary and chairman will join ministers of defense and senior military officials from nearly 50 nations to discuss the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and the continued close coordination by the international community to provide the Ukrainian people with the means necessary to defend their sovereign territory.” (Source: US DoD)
14 Sep 23. Thermoteknix unveils new Fused Thermal Night Vision Binocular with Augmented Reality. Thermoteknix Systems Ltd., global innovator in thermal imaging, night vision, fusion and Augmented Reality (AR) systems, is pleased to unveil its latest Fused Night Vision Goggle with Augmented Reality (FNVG-AR) in London at DSEI 2023.
See us at Stand H2-578 at the show.
Thermoteknix’ FNVG-AR is a state-of-the art, lightweight, fused binocular night vision goggle (NVG) integrated with the latest generation 16mm white phosphor night vision tubes and high resolution thermal imager with optical sensor fusion. Designed and manufactured by Thermoteknix in Cambridge, UK, FNVG-AR is the only ITAR-free fused binocular night vision goggle available today.
Download images here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/notygus0kadlgn4butjn9/ARTIM-MINI_Intelligent_Battery-Pack.png?rlkey=ciuznimuehievqke8h7nvgrrw&dl=0
FNVG-AR delivers outstanding performance, fusing night vision and thermal capabilities, for soldiers to observe and manoeuver in all weather conditions, during limited visibility, and under all light conditions for rapid threat detection and target engagement. Users can alternative between combinations of night vision, thermal and AR, while showing various user-selectable levels of AR information to ensure their optimal tactical advantage in the battlefield whether on patrol, reconnaissance or kinetic operations.
FNVG-AR connects seamlessly to Battle Management Systems (BMS) including ATAK to display real-time information. This includes live blue force tracking, markers, navigation routes, waypoints or Jumpmaster information in intuitive 360 degree AR. Furthermore, FNVG-AR can display real-time video streaming from the BMS, including live video feeds from any integrated ISR or targeting asset.
Thermoteknix AR software enables users to overlay iconography, GPS and navigation data into the head-up display, delivering the most advanced situational awareness available today. The integration of AR and video streaming gives soldiers real-time and actionable intelligence. Without distraction or lag, FNVG ensures eyes are always on target, without the need to expose an illuminated End User Device (EUD) with consequent loss of focus and risk of detection.
“The FNVG-AR combines over a decade of experience designing and manufacturing fused thermal and night vision products since Thermoteknix’ first fused systems were launched in 2012. With the addition of AR and live video from connected systems streamed directly into the head-up display, the FNVG-AR is a groundbreaking milestone in the well-equipped, dismounted soldier. Markers, targets, geodata, threats and now live ISR and targeting footage are integrated into our lightweight fused goggle without risk of exposure or detection. The demand for AR-driven intelligent systems by military forces has raised the effectiveness and safety of the dismounted soldier. At Thermoteknix we continue to generate new breakthroughs in AR technologies, delivering enhanced situational awareness and protecting soldiers on the ground,” explains Dr Richard Salisbury, Managing Director of Thermoteknix
The Thermoteknix FNVG-AR is powered by ARTIM, a smart battery module mounted on the rear of the helmet, available in both 24hr and a new significantly lower profile 12hr format (ARTIM-MINI). ARTIM delivers real time, uninterrupted AR capability to FNVG-AR whether connected dynamically to a networked BMS, or in isolation. Thermoteknix ARTIM also supports a number of other Thermoteknix products including ClipIR XD (clip-on thermal imager which attaches to an existing night vision device) and VisAR (daytime HUD displaying AR information).
All Thermoteknix products are designed and manufactured at its Cambridge, UK state-of-the-art facilities.
For more information on Thermoteknix visit www.thermoteknix.com.
About Thermoteknix (www.thermoteknix.com)
Founded in 1982 Thermoteknix has a 40-year history of consistent technical breakthroughs in night vision and thermal imaging technology, electronics, system integration, and related software application products. Thermoteknix is driven by its commitment to quality, reliability, and determination to develop solutions that solve customers’ biggest challenges. The company has been awarded the prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise in 2023, the highest public accolade for any British business. Thermoteknix has previously been awarded the Queen’s Award for Export (1998) and is a two-times winner of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation (2008 and 2015).
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Echodyne is a U.S. designer and manufacturer of advanced commercial radar solutions for defense and national security applications. The company’s proprietary metamaterials electronically scanned array (MESA®) architecture, a rare breakthrough in advanced radar engineering, leverages a physics-design approach to adapt conventional materials and deliver unexpected and beneficial behavior. The result is a solid-state, low-SWaP unit coupled with advanced software capabilities that delivers superior radar performance and unparalleled data integrity, radically improving system performance and enhancing safety for people and machines. With leading positions in counter-UAS, force protection, base security, and portable ISR, Defense Agencies and Suppliers rely on Echodyne radar for extraordinary accuracy and consistent, reliable operation. For more information, please visit: Echodyne.com.
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