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GeoCue Expands European Footprint with New French Distributor, Escadrone

Monday, July 10th, 2023

The new partnership will bring cutting-edge geospatial hardware and software to France.For Release July 10, 2023

Huntsville, AL – GeoCue, a leading provider of advanced geospatial software and hardware solutions, is pleased to announce the addition of Escadrone to its global network of distributors. This strategic partnership continues to extend GeoCue’s expansion into the European market, particularly in France and French-speaking countries where Escadrone will provide advanced-level TrueView 3D Imaging Sensors and LP360 LiDAR Processing Software.

Escadrone, a renowned expert in autonomous robotics integration for professional civilian applications, has been serving its customers since 2014. As a pioneer in the design, sale, and approval of drone technology, along with providing comprehensive training, Escadrone offers personalized autonomous robotics solutions to a growing number of companies. Their wide range of training, drones, equipment, and software covers various professional uses, ensuring their customers have access to cutting-edge technology.

Herbert Nicolas, CEO of Escadrone, expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, “We appreciate working with companies that put customers at the heart of product development, and creating partnerships with their distributors to ensure the customers receive the highest level of support and professionalism. GeoCue’s commitment to excellence aligns perfectly with our values, and we are excited to bring their industry-leading solutions to our customers.”

With this collaboration, Escadrone will now offer TrueView Lidar products and LP360 software to its customers. The TrueView systems enable advanced photogrammetry and LiDAR data collection, empowering customers to enhance their surveying and mapping capabilities. By integrating these powerful tools into their workflows, Escadrone’s customers gain a technological advantage in the highly competitive field of drone mapping.

Abdel Diani, Director of Global Distribution for GeoCue, commented on the partnership, saying, “We are delighted to welcome Escadrone to our global network of distributors. Their expertise in autonomous robotics and commitment to customer satisfaction make them an ideal partner for GeoCue. Together, we can provide innovative geospatial solutions to customers in France and beyond, helping them optimize their operations and achieve remarkable results.”

GeoCue and Escadrone share a common goal of delivering exceptional products and services while adapting swiftly to market conditions. This partnership not only strengthens GeoCue’s presence in the European market but also reinforces Escadrone’s commitment to providing cutting-edge solutions and unrivaled customer support.

Posted in Industry, International, Sensors, UAS | Comments Off on GeoCue Expands European Footprint with New French Distributor, Escadrone

Warrior East 23 – Zenith AeroTech

Friday, July 7th, 2023

I was surprised to learn about Zenith AeroTech which shared a booth with Zenith Firearms. They manufacture tethered aerial systems.

There are two models of tethered drones, the Quad-L can carry up to 8 lbs of payload while the Quad-L will carry a 20 lbs payload aloft. Flight duration is based upon power provided by the ground power unit which also serves as a conduit for the data being collected by the drone. Below you can see the controller.

Units and agencies can procure products seen at Warrior East by contacting ADS, Inc.

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DroneShield Announces $9.9 million DoD Contract

Thursday, July 6th, 2023

• Five Eyes DoD awards DroneShield a record $9.9 million contract

• The award follows DroneShield successfully completing a $3.8 million contract with the same customer

• Ongoing significant momentum in the business in a rapidly expanding market

Operator with the tablet console of DroneShield DroneSentry-X vehicle counterdrone system

DroneShield Ltd (ASX:DRO) (DroneShield or the Company) has been awarded a follow-on 2-year R&D contract with a total value of $9.9 million by a Five Eyes Department of Defence (DoD). Approximately $4.5 million is due in the September and December 2023 quarters. Five Eyes refers to the defence/intelligence alliance between the US, Canada, UK, Australia and NZ.

The award follows DroneShield materially completing the $3.8 million contract announced 4 June 2021 with the DoD, with a final milestone payment expected this month.

Oleg Vornik, DroneShield’s CEO, commented, “Follow-on contracts are the ultimate customer measure of our performance. As an Australian sovereign industrial capability business, DroneShield is proud and pleased to continue undertaking multi-year contracts of increasing size with this customer.”

“This is the largest long-term contract received by DroneShield to date, significantly larger than the earlier, $3.8 million contract. The 2-year term locks in cash receipts over a period of time. Further larger contracts are anticipated following completion of this phase.”

“In the current uncertain geopolitical environment, there is a significant focus by the Five Eyes Governments to procure from defence industrial capability champions within their network of countries. Having deep engineering and research capability, TRL9 products and a track record of working with Defence, places DroneShield in a favourable position for ongoing work.”

Operational Update

• Following a strong $7 million cash receipts 1Q23 quarter, DroneShield is on track for an all-time record 2Q23 quarter and continuing on a trajectory for another record year for cash receipts in 2023. Further detail will be provided in the next 4C quarterly, due to be released later in July.

• Significant progress on manufacturing, operations and inventory scale-up to support additional anticipated orders for remainder of 2023. DroneShield is currently finalizing the location for a larger industrial site to move its Sydney operations to enable the growth.

• With the $11 million contract announced in December now fully delivered and paid for, DroneShield is progressing the inventory build of the second $11 million order announced in January, expected to be delivered later this year.

• Current order book (committed and binding customer purchase orders) of approximately $29 million, an all-time record.

• Over $200 million qualified opportunities pipeline (in addition to the order book), across approximately 80 projects.

• Ongoing record demand for counterdrone / C-UAS equipment, underscored by the events in Ukraine and increasing defence and security budgets globally.

• In addition to military and intelligence communities, significant engagement with critical infrastructure plants, airports and other civilian customers.

Posted in Contracts, Press Release, UAS | Comments Off on DroneShield Announces $9.9 million DoD Contract

DroneShield Releases DroneLocator

Monday, July 3rd, 2023

DroneShield is pleased to announce it has commenced the release of a major firmware update applied to its global fleet of counterdrone (C-UAS) devices.

The introduction of Remote ID legislation globally has seen drone manufacturers develop proprietary remote identification approaches. Remote ID is designed to broadcast critical information about the aircraft, location data, flight information and pilot details. This technology is becoming increasingly important in the management of the low altitude airspace.

DroneShield devices are now capable of detecting a variety of Remote ID signals via the Company’s proprietary DroneLocator technology. These enhancements apply to its man-portable, vehicle/ship and fixed-site products. Most notably DroneLocator can display DJI Remote ID signals previously only available via the DJI AeroScope product.

DroneLocator can display critical information such as:

• Drone location (latitude, longitude & altitude)

• Pilot location (latitude & longitude)

• Drone home location (latitude & longitude)

• Drone serial number (unique identifier)

• Drone speed

In addition to DroneLocator, enrolled devices receive a quarterly update to the proprietary DroneShield RFAI Artificial Intelligence engine. While DroneLocator provides a solution for detecting and tracking compliant and legal aircraft, DroneShield RFAI technology continues to provide a solution for unlawful, unregistered, and hostile drones.

DroneShield RFAI and DroneLocator can be run simultaneously on a single DroneShield device, with DroneShield products running AI processing on edge. RFAI and DroneLocator can operate in a completely air-gapped (no internet connection) configuration.

DroneLocator technology greatly expands the use cases from DroneShield products including an expansion of C-UAS, Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM), Low Altitude Airspace Monitoring, Drone Security and Drone Fleet Management.

In addition, this major update includes:

• Greater Performance in High Noise Environments: Major improvements to the detection algorithms including an advanced convolutional neural network, enhances detection performance in complex, cluttered, high noise environments.

• Maps Available on Embedded Devices: DroneSentry-X devices can now load and display a map for added situational awareness.

• Improved Graphic User Interface: Device detection and logging information can now be expanded to provide end users with additional content.

Angus Bean, DroneShield Chief Technology Officer, commented, “The addition of DroneLocator to our detection technology suite is the continuation of our long-term strategy to offer major enhancements to the existing product range via our software subscription model. We are pleased the technology is available immediately for all our existing end user community. This technology has been heavily requested by the C-UAS and adjacent industries.”

Posted in Press Release, UAS | Comments Off on DroneShield Releases DroneLocator

Rheinmetall Mission Master CXT – Fire Support for Counter UAS Role

Sunday, July 2nd, 2023

Rheinmetall is proud to present the Mission Master CXT – Fire Support, equipped with Dillon dual M134D miniguns. This innovative and reliable countermeasure is specially designed to defeat small unmanned aerial systems (UAS). It can fire an impressive 6,000 rounds per minute and defeat drone targets day and night.

With the ability to autonomously detect and track aerial and land targets, while also prioritizing safe fire engagement by the operator (man in/on the loop), this pioneering technology is set to revolutionize counter-UAS operations. What’s more, it features wolfpack capability, meaning that one operator can manage multiple unmanned ground vehicles at the same time.

Rheinmetall will display its counter-UAS solution for the very first time at DSEI in September 2023.

Posted in DSEi, Guest Post, International, UAS | 2 Comments »

GA-ASI, CAL FIRE and CA ANG Complete Flight Demo of REAP Pod on MQ-9A

Sunday, July 2nd, 2023

Pod Provides Communications Infrastructure in the Event of Natural Disaster

SAN DIEGO – 30 July 2023 – In collaboration with the California Air National Guard (CA ANG), National Guard Bureau (NGB), AT&T FirstNet, California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES), and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA?ASI) successfully completed a flight demonstration of the Rosetta Echo Advanced Payloads (REAP) Pod on an MQ-9A Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA). During natural disasters, it’s fairly common for first responders and residents of affected areas to lose cellular communications due to downed infrastructure. The REAP Pod provides potentially lifesaving communications infrastructure from an aircraft, ensuring lines of communication remain open between providers of emergency services and those desperately needing assistance.

This flight demonstration, held on May 25, 2023, showcased bridged communications networks providing seamless connectivity between airborne and ground participants. The system showcased the ability to bridge VHF/UHF networks, function as a P25 repeater, connect geographically disparate mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs), and most importantly, provide both FirstNet and emergency 911 cellular capabilities.

As California heads into its heavy wildfire season, the REAP Pod on CA ANG MQ-9As will provide needed communications to support CAL FIRE’s rescue efforts.

“GA-ASI is excited to showcase the capabilities of the REAP Pod,” said GA-ASI Vice President of Mission Payloads and Exploitation Satish Krishnan. “The CA ANG MQ-9As with REAP can ensure CAL FIRE and other first responders maintain critical communications infrastructure at a time when it’s most urgently needed and can help save lives.”

The REAP Pod was developed through a collaboration between GA-ASI and Ultra Intelligence and Communications. The system features a suite of advanced communications equipment that helps support disaster relief operations, including VHF/UHF Line of Sight (LOS), P25, MANET, FirstNet Cellular, and a high-bandwidth LOS backhaul. The REAP pod also has the ability to support military waveforms like Link 16.

As manufacturer of the REAP Pod, GA-ASI aims to ensure the successful initial deployment of the pod as an operational proof of concept. This deployment serves a larger objective by advancing the implementation and effectiveness of the REAP Pod and setting the stage for potential adoption by the Air National Guard on the MQ-9A and the Army National Guard on MQ-1C Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).

www.ga-asi.com

Posted in Comms, Press Release, UAS | Comments Off on GA-ASI, CAL FIRE and CA ANG Complete Flight Demo of REAP Pod on MQ-9A

MQ-9 Reaper Completes First Mission Using Dirt Landing Zone

Friday, June 30th, 2023

SANDERSON, Texas (AFNS) —

Just south of Fort Stockton is one of the largest private armed forces training centers in the country, the Nine Mile Training Center — an expansive terrain offering privacy from prying eyes and the perfect opportunity to unleash the MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft.

At this remote dirt strip in West Texas, members from the 2nd Special Operations Squadron, 727th Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and 311th Special Operations Intelligence Squadron teamed up with Airmen from the 26th Special Tactics Squadron out of Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, June 15, to carve their next milestone into Air Force Special Operations Command history.

Working together, the air commandos conducted the first MQ-9 landing on a dirt landing zone.

“This is a significant achievement for Air Force Reserve Command, AFSOC, the MQ-9 community and the joint force as a whole,” said Lt. Col. Brian Flanigan, 2nd SOS director of operations. “This team of aircrew, maintainers and special tactics Airmen have proven the Reaper can operate anywhere in the world and is no longer beholden to the ‘leash’ of perfectly paved runways or line-of-sight antennas traditionally used to takeoff and land the aircraft.”

Historically, the MQ-9 has taken off and landed via line-of-sight of antennas, with aircrew members manually flying the aircraft. Now, the MQ-9 can literally takeoff and land from anywhere in the world.

Flanigan was quick to point out how this new concept meets the AFRC’s priorities of ‘Ready Now’ and ‘transforming for the future.’

“This capability will be critical in ‘tomorrow’s fight’ and nests perfectly with the Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment concept that focuses on smaller footprints, distributed operations and increased survivability while generating combat power,” Flanigan said. “We are demonstrating what is possible when you leverage citizen air commandos and our diverse backgrounds to take an existing capability like [satellite launch and recovery] and apply it to the future fight.”

The 12th Aircraft Maintenance Unit from the 727th Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron supported the effort with a very small footprint to the austere location using ACE techniques, tactics and procedures developed by the 12th AMU.

“This initiative was significant in terms of refining maintenance ACE capabilities because it provided insight into how the aircraft handles landing in an austere environment,” said Maj. Doniell Mojazza, 727th SOAMXS director of operations. “This scenario both challenged and empowered 12th AMU maintainers to assess risk utilizing their expertise and innovation to ensure aircraft air worthiness and mission success.”

The team is not only using the MQ-9 SLR capability to access short, narrow and unprepared places, but also using it in creative ways to offer ‘off the menu’ options not traditionally provided by RPAs. This was demonstrated by their use of a travel pod attached to the aircraft to execute a critical resupply of the 26th STS on the dirt landing zone.

“We call it ‘Reaper Express,’ which is essentially just using a travel pod to develop an operational concept of delivering critical items to austere locations using the MQ-9,” Flanigan said. “It may not be able to carry much, but what it can hold, might be the difference between getting that critical aircraft part to an isolated airfield or bringing in a blood supply for casualties sustained during a base attack.”

While the MQ-9 has no demand shortage with its traditional role in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance or its ability to quickly land and execute an engine running offload could be a secondary or tertiary mission.

“This provides options compared to waiting multiple weeks until intra-theater airlift can support,” Flanigan said. “What we’re also finding through the series of exercises we’ve executed, is that the ‘fight tomorrow’ capabilities we’ve been demonstrating is rapidly becoming a ‘fight tonight’ capability the joint force is wanting now.”

The collective contributions of active duty and Reserve members working together provided a glimpse of what is possible as transformation continues throughout the RPA enterprise.

“We are continuing to expand MQ-9 Reaper capabilities,” said Maj. Dan Carlson, 2nd SOS MQ-9 chief pilot. “The unique ability to maneuver the MQ-9 to operate anytime, anyplace is a relatively new capability and one that is transforming how we prepare for tomorrow’s fight as well as today’s.”

The certification exercise also provided a venue for intelligence analysts to contribute and further enhance the STS mission regardless of where they operate.

“We are innovating ways to provide geospatial intelligence to downrange forces,” said Capt. Courtney Cook, 311th Special Operations Intelligence Squadron assistant director of operations. “The opportunity to support this was huge for our organization.”

919th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs

Posted in Air Force, Aviation, Guest Post, SOF, UAS | Comments Off on MQ-9 Reaper Completes First Mission Using Dirt Landing Zone

Shortening the Sensor-to-Shooter Cycle: SMARTSHOOTER to Present its SMASH Hopper LRCWS Integrated with RPS-42 MHR Radar at MDM

Tuesday, June 27th, 2023

Ideal against sUAS, the joint solution has recently completed several successful trials and demonstrations

Modern Day Marine, booth 2260

[June 26, 2023]: SMARTSHOOTER, a world-class designer, developer, and manufacturer of innovative fire control systems that significantly increase accuracy, lethality, and situational awareness while reducing collateral damage, will participate at the Modern Day Marine event, and showcase its SMASH 2000L already deployed by the Marine Corps, and the Hopper Light Remotely Controlled Weapon Station integrated with the DRS RADA Technologies MHR radar.

The SMASH 2000L is a lightweight rifle mounted Fire Control optic that provides the user with unprecedented accuracy against ground and aerial targets. The system is currently deployed by the Marines for C-UAS operations. The Hopper is a Light weight Remotely Controlled Weapon Station (LRCWS) that uses the same Fire Control technology as the 2000L but can be mounted as a system on different manned and unmanned platforms providing pin-point accurate lethal capability from a safe stand-off distance. The DRS MHR Multi-Mission Hemispheric Radar (MHR) is ground-based, multi-mission radar already used by the Marines for Counter-UAS, Very Short-Range Air Defense (VSHORAD), Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar (C-RAM), and Hemispheric Surveillance operational missions.

When integrated together, the SMASH Hopper LRCWS and DRS MHR radar will provide an “end-to-end” solution for defeating drones and shorten the sensor-to-shooter cycle. The RPS-42’s long-range detection and tracking capabilities allow the SMASH Hopper LRCWS to engage targets at a safe standoff distance. At the same time, the SMASH Hopper LRCWS’s high hit probability promises precise, swift, safe, and simple hard-kill elimination of the threat.

The joint solution has already completed several successful trials and demonstrations and is ideal for use by US marine corps on the MADIS system.

Michal Mor, SMARTSHOOTER CEO: “The integration of our Hopper with the RPS-42 radar provides a very effective end-to-end solution to neutralize drones swiftly, ensuring the protection of personnel and critical assets. Shortening the sensor-to-shooter cycle, this advanced solution enhances the force’s situational awareness and survivability and takes air defense to a new level “.

Deployed and combat-proven by different forces worldwide, including the US Marine Corps, SMASH is a weapon Fire Control System (FCS) equipped with an onboard computer to perform complex targeting solutions. Once the user identifies the target (independently or using the detection system guidance) and locks on it, SMASH tracks its movements and synchronizes the shot release to ensure a fast and precise hit on the target.

The SMASH Family of fire control systems uses AI, computer vision, and advanced algorithms to ensure precise hit capabilities, enhance forces’ situational awareness and lethality, and reduce collateral damage. It enables the platoon to be smart, precise, and connected.

For further information, please visit www.SMART-SHOOTER.com.

Posted in International, MDM, Press Release, UAS | Comments Off on Shortening the Sensor-to-Shooter Cycle: SMARTSHOOTER to Present its SMASH Hopper LRCWS Integrated with RPS-42 MHR Radar at MDM