Sponsored by Blighter Surveillance Systems
www.blighter.com
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29 Oct 19. Blighter Secures Major Funding to Expand Customer Base for its Radar and Counter-drone Solutions.
- The funding will allow Blighter to improve its supply chain and shorten product lead times for new and existing customers in the global defence and commercial security markets
- BOOST&Co’s growth capital loan will enable Blighter to further exploit the success of its advanced radars and counter-drone solutions for use by airports, nuclear power stations, oil/gas processing plants and other critical national infrastructure sites.
Blighter Surveillance Systems Ltd (www.blighter.com) (“Blighter”), a British designer and manufacturer of electronic-scanning (e-scan) radars and counter-drone solutions, has secured a significant growth capital loan from BOOST&Co (www.boostandco.com) to further exploit the success of its advanced radars and counter-drone solutions for use by airports, nuclear power stations, oil/gas processing plants and other critical national infrastructure sites.
The funding will also allow Blighter to improve its supply chain and shorten product lead times for new and existing customers in the global defence and commercial security markets. Blighter e-scan micro-Doppler radars and counter-drone solutions are deployed in 35 countries, including, for example, by the UK Ministry of Defence in Afghanistan, in South Korea monitoring the demilitarised zone (DMZ), and by the United States Department of Defense in Iraq.
Angus Hone, CEO, Blighter Surveillance Systems, said: “We are delighted to secure this funding as it will enable us to build on record growth and further expand our commercial client base. Having adapted our military-grade advanced ground radar and counter-drone solutions for use in the commercial world, we plan to leverage some early successes with airports and other critical infrastructure sites to further grow the business.
“Blighter ground surveillance radars are already successfully deployed at Stansted and Heathrow airports in the UK and at many other international airports,” said Angus Hone. “But we have seen a surge of interest in our counter-drone radars from airports and other critical infrastructure sites in recent years as a result of the growing sightings of rogue drones. And our Blighter A400 series air security radar is now deployed at Gatwick as part of the airport’s counter-drone defences following last December’s incident that brought the airport to a standstill.”
The Blighter solid-state all-weather A400 series air security/counter-drone radars are optimised for the detection of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones carrying video cameras, wireless communication systems, narcotics, explosives and other undesirable payloads. The radars detect and report Nano, Micro and Miniature drones at ranges from 10 metres up to 3.6 km (2.2 miles) and larger drones and aircraft at ranges up to 10 km (6.2 miles) at speeds from full flight down to hover-drift.
Tracy Sambrook, chief financial officer (CFO), Blighter Surveillance Systems, added, “Blighter is well placed to capitalise on the growth of drone detection systems given our reputation, track record and customer base. And the funding is good news for all our customers as some of the loan will be used to improve our supply chain so that we can shorten the lead times for our products.”
Blighter radars are deployed to deliver around the clock all-weather protection along borders, for coastal facilities, at military bases, and to guard critical national infrastructure such as airports, oil/gas facilities and palaces. Blighter Surveillance Systems delivers an integrated multi-sensor package to system integrators comprising the Blighter radars plus cameras, thermal imagers, trackers and software solutions.
30 Oct 19. UAVOS develops new VTOL UAS for LiDAR applications. UAVOS has developed a new VTOL UAS, the UVH-25EL, designed for data capturing applications using Light Distance and Ranging (LiDAR).
The fully automatic, compact and lightweight UVH -25EL is equipped with an electric engine unit and has a flight endurance of up to 1.5hrs when carrying a payload of up to 5kg.
The company plans to partner with leading LiDAR manufacturers to provide the users with an all-in-one 3D mapping solution. The system can integrate high resolution cameras for precise, efficient and cost-effective surveying and 3D mapping.
The UVH-25EL has a maximum take-off weight of 25kg, with a chassis designed to fit the LiDAR installation. The aircraft’s rechargeable battery module is located inside the helicopter’s bearing frame, which protects it from damage. The UAS is also equipped with a radio altimeter.
Aliaksei Stratsilatau, CEO, UAVOS, said: ‘The UVH-25EL is truly an advanced UAV for serious geomatics professionals in the construction, land development, engineering and geomatics trades.
‘The partnerships with developers of LiDAR systems will allow us to complement our UVH-25EL unmanned helicopter offer with a coverage of aerial photography and 3D elevation data, as well as more specialist capture including thermal surveys, LiDAR.’ (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
30 Oct 19. DroneShield’s handheld drone detection device RfPatrolTM has been assigned a NATO Stock Number (NSN) 5895661653374. Additionally, certain variations of the products and RfPatrolTM accessories have also been assigned their individual NSNs.
An NSN is a 13-digit numeric code, identifying all the ‘standardised material items of supply’ as they have been recognized by all NATO countries including United States Department of Defense, and allows for any NATO military to purchase RfPatrolTM on a “military catalogue” basis, significantly simplifying the procurement process. NATO countries are expected to be a significant part of the global military market for RfPatrolTM and other DroneShield products. The assignment of the NSN to RfPatrolTM was granted at the request of the Australian military following the $700,000 tender win by DroneShield announced 1 October 2019.
30 Oct 19. South Korea deploys indigenously developed coastal radar. South Korea has operationalised the first example of an indigenously developed coastal surveillance radar, the country’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced on 30 October. The system, which has been referred to by DAPA as the Maritime Surveillance Radar-II, was developed in collaboration with South Korean defence systems company, LIG Nex 1. The project began in 2015, and is valued at about KRW31.6bn (USD27m). According to an image that accompanied the DAPA release, the system features a rotating parabolic antenna reflector with a feedhorn support boom setup. The system is housed in a radome and mounted atop a personnel-accessible pedestal. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
29 Oct 19. Bangladesh Air Force orders Leonardo’s Kronos Land radar. Italian company Leonardo announced on 29 October that it has signed a contract for the supply of an undisclosed number of Kronos Land 3D radar systems to the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) to provide air surveillance. Leonardo, which announced the contract during the 28-30 October Bahrain International Defence Exhibition and Conference 2019 (BIDEC 2019) tri-service exhibition, said that it will also supply communications equipment, 12 months of technical support services, spare parts, and a comprehensive training programme for BAF personnel as part of the deal, the value of which was not revealed.
“As a complete package, this contract will enable the BAF to develop a long-term maintenance capability and preserve the functionality of the system,” said Leonardo, adding that the Kronos Land multirole radar, which can reportedly be brought into operation in the field in just 15 minutes, will allow the BAF to “detect and track targets in tactical environments”. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
28 Oct 19. Comtech Telecommunications Corp. Receives $2.2m Funding from U.S. Army. October 28, 2019– Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (NASDAQ: CMTL) announced today that during its first quarter of fiscal 2020, its Mission-Critical Technologies group, which is part of Comtech’s Government Solutions segment, received incremental funding of $2.2m, which is part of the previously announced $98.6m ceiling contract to provide the U.S. Army with global field support services for military satellite communication (“SATCOM”) terminals around the world. The contract has been funded $24.4m to date.
“Supporting the U.S. warfighter is a privilege for Comtech and we are honored that the Army has entrusted us with this mission,” said Fred Kornberg, President and Chief Executive Officer of Comtech Telecommunications Corp.
The Army’s mission-critical ground SATCOM terminals provide inter and intra-theater network communications with worldwide reach back capability. The field support contract covers diverse engineering and technical skills to support these SATCOM terminals, including logisticians, help desk, network engineering, security engineering, RF and satellite system engineering and support.
The Mission-Critical Technologies group is a leading provider of mission-critical, highly-mobile C4ISR and other advanced secure wireless communications.
29 Oct 19. HENSOLDT’s Passive Radar in NATO Measurement Campaign. The passive radar “TwInvis” of sensor solution provider HENSOLDT showed outstanding detection performance during a measurement campaign of the NATO Science and Technology Organization under the leadership of the Polish armed forces.
For this purpose, a passive radar sensor cluster with two sensors was installed on the Polish Baltic coast. During the measurement campaign, a system integrated in a container was used alongside a system variant integrated in a van. TwInvis reliably detected a large number of targets in the air and at sea, ranging from light aircraft and combat aircraft to ballistic and ground-to-air missiles. The achieved ranges over the Baltic Sea coast were up to 300km. The live data from the TwInvis cluster were fed into the Polish MilRad network and analysed and evaluated in a nearby Polish CRC.
A passive radar acts purely as a receiver, i.e. it does not transmit itself, and locates aircraft by evaluating the signals reflected at the target from existing external transmitters. The TwInvis is creating a comprehensive air situation picture, which is generated from the simultaneous evaluation of a large number of frequency ranges. TwInvis is able to simultaneously evaluate up to 16 FM transmitters (analogue radio) and 5 frequencies with several contributing transmitters from DAB and DAB+ (digital radio) as well as DVB-T and DVB-T2 (digital terrestrial television) due to its highly developed digital receiver technology and special algorithms.
In civil applications, passive radar enables low-cost control of air traffic without additional emissions and without using scarce transmission frequencies. In military applications, the system enables covert surveillance of large areas using networked receivers and offers the advantage that the “passive radar” cannot be located by the enemy and is very difficult to be jammed.
28 Oct 19. At AOC 2019, Teledyne Paradise Unveiled New 4kW X-band Pulsed SSPA for Upgrading Aging Radar Technology Platforms. New SSPA is ideal for Defense-related applications, especially Naval shipboard requirements. Teledyne Paradise Datacom (Paradise), part of the Teledyne Defense Electronics Group, is unveiling a new Pulsed Radar SSPA (solid state power amplifier) that is designed for Operators of defense-related tactical radar systems.
The solid state technology provides an ideal pathway for customers seeking to upgrade or replace their existing legacy radar platforms with a newer generation of technology, one that delivers superior SWaP, power density, scalability, and performance over a longer life cycle. Additionally, it reduces the risk of complete loss of service for the Operator.
Importantly, the new 4kW X-band SSPA is configurable to meet diverse radar platform requirements, and scalable either up or down to effectively address other power levels as desired. It provides operators of legacy TWT, Magnetron, or Klystron-based platforms with a starting point for upgrades.
This GaN-based SSPA delivers a very high power density that makes it a perfect fit for radar applications deployed for navigation, targeting, and tracking purposes.
“Paradise has a distinguished history developing cutting-edge SSPA technologies, and this advancement is laser-focused on the emerging needs of many OEMs in the defense industry,” said Mike Towner, Senior Director of Sales and Marketing for Paradise. “The power levels and frequency band make this SSPA a natural fit for aging pulsed radar application platforms, and its flexibility and scalability are unsurpassed.”
While the 4kW X-band SSPA is ideal for various defense environments, it can also be deployed to address similar user needs in the fields of commercial navigation and weather or air traffic control radar systems. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
28 Oct 19. US proposes counter-drone coordinator appointment. The House of Representatives has put forward a bill to set up a new position within the Department of Homeland Security described as “Countering Unmanned Aircraft Systems Coordinator.” The proposal came from the House Homeland Security Committee which met on 23 October 2019. The official would be tasked with countering threats associated with drones, promoting anti-drone tech research and coordinating with the private sector according to US government news coverage.
For more information visit:
https://homeland.house.gov/ (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
24 Oct 19. Rostec launches drone detection radar. Subsidiary of Russia’s Rostec State Corporation, Ruselectronic, has launched a new radar capable of detecting small Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). Operating in Ka bandwidth, the multi-channel radar is designed to detect small-sized drones at a distance up to 7.5 km. It comprises a small unit, equal to 325 x 240 x 230 mm mounted on a rotary device to provide visibility in all directions. The company is field-testing the first production units and is marketing the equipment to civilian and military customers.
The development comes in response to small-sized drones which pose a threat when carrying out surveillance, reconnaissance missions or carrying explosives or weapons, and detects individual drones or swarms. Rostec Executive Director Oleg Yevtushenko commented: “Traditional radar methods do not provide reliable detection of unmanned flying vehicles with a small reflective surface. The dangers that drones pose are becoming increasingly obvious.”
For more information visit:
www.rostec.ru/en/news/rostec-has-developed-a-radar-to-detect-miniature-drones/ (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
23 Oct 19. New counter drone solution from Kaspersky. Kaspersky Antidrone is a new standalone solution that uses a trainable neural network to detect and classify civilian drones automatically.
The system uses sensors, chosen to reflect the required environment, together with advanced technologies based on a neural network to inform the controller of drones approaching the designated zone. If necessary, Kaspersky Antidrone turns on a module which sends permitted radio interference signals, sending the approaching drone back to base or forcing it to land safely.
Kaspersky uses a patented laser scanning technology for primary detection of civilian drones. Solution is also designed to work with video and audio sensors, as well as radar, if applicable. A trainable neural network classifies drones by type and model. In many cases, the drone’s type and model dictate the choice of neutralization paradigm.
A specially designed system generates a narrow interference beam to break the drone’s connection with either a GPs satellite or the remote controller. Once the connection is broken, the drone will either return to base or slowly descend.
For more information visit:
https://go.kaspersky.com/antidrone.global.html
(Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
21 Oct 19. UK mobile counter-drone unit announced. The UK government has announced plans to create a mobile counter-drone unit, containing detection and disruption equipment, which can be deployed by police and other emergency responders to protect major events and rapidly respond to drone incidents across the UK. The development is part of a wider strategy launched by the Department for Transport, Home Office and justice departments on 21 October 2019.
The strategy aims to ensure individuals, businesses and emergency services in the UK can continue to harness the economic and social benefits of drones, while cracking down on misuse and disruption. It includes plans to drive forward the establishment of international design standards for manufacturers to enable safety features to be designed in from the start and make drones safe to use in the UK. This will happen with input from a new industry action group to encourage collaboration with government, drive progress and stay ahead of malicious drone users, according to Security Minister Brandon Lewis. “To ensure the drone industry can thrive in this country we must be able to crack down effectively on those who would use drones to cause harm or disruption. There is no silver bullet to help protect our infrastructure and our citizens from malicious or careless drone use. That’s why this Strategy outlines a broad range of work to ensure we can effectively tackle the threat.”
The use of unmanned aircraft has grown significantly in recent years and the industry is expected to contribute an extra £42bn to the UK economy by 2030, with more than 76,000 commercial and public sector drones expected to be in use by this date.
However, this also increases the risks of malicious use. Latest statistics show there were 168 police recorded drone incidents in England and Wales in 2018, and 165 drones were recovered at prisons in 2016 and 2017.
The strategy also includes:
- the Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Bill, announced in the Queen’s Speech, which will give police increased powers to tackle illegal drone use
- a new national standard for police recording of illegal drone activity to help build a picture of the drone threat
- national guidance for police to assist them during malicious drone incidents
- the government’s ongoing work with industry to research and test the latest counter drone equipment so that police across the country are able to respond to threats – building on the work already done across government
- over the next 3 years, the government will work with partners to compile a catalogue of approved counter-drone technology to assure police and the owners and operators of critical national infrastructure sites that they are investing in the most effective and appropriate technology
- a government communications campaign to educate the general public and continue to encourage safe drone use
- Earlier this year it was announced that from 30 November 2019, every operator of a drone weighing more than 250g will need to register with the Civil Aviation Authority and all remote pilots will have to have passed an online competency test
Like many emerging technologies, drones play an ever more important role in business and there are currently more than 5,000 commercial users currently registered in the UK. They also provide an increasingly vital tool to assist the work of our emergency services.
This strategy is underpinned by the government’s desire to seize and develop the opportunities that the sector has to offer.
For more information visit:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/action-to-detect-deter-and-disrupt-the-misuse-of-drones (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
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Blighter® Surveillance Systems (BSS) is a UK-based electronic-scanning radar and sensor solution provider delivering an integrated multi-sensor package to systems integrators comprising the Blighter electronic-scanning radars, cameras, thermal imagers, trackers and software solutions. Blighter radars combine patented solid-state Passive Electronic Scanning Array (PESA) technology with advanced Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) and Doppler processing to provide a robust and persistent surveillance capability. Blighter Surveillance Systems is a Plextek Group company, a leading British design house and technology innovator, and is based at Great Chesterford on the outskirts of Cambridge, England.
The Blighter electronic-scanning (e-scan) FMCW Doppler ground surveillance radar (GSR) is a unique patented product that provides robust intruder detection capabilities under the most difficult terrain and weather conditions. With no mechanical moving parts and 100% solid-state design, the Blighter radar family of products are extremely reliable and robust and require no routine maintenance for five years. The Blighter radar can operate over land and water rapidly searching for intruders as small a crawling person, kayaks and even low-flying objects. In its long-range modes the Blighter radar can rapidly scan an area in excess of 3,000 km² to ensure that intruders are detected, identified and intercepted before they reach critical areas.
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