GORE-TEX Professional

Archive for the ‘UAS’ Category

DroneShield at the Forefront of Counterdrone Expertise in Response to Rising Threats

Saturday, December 21st, 2024

Warrenton, Virginia – DroneShield (ASX:DRO), a global leader in counterdrone technologies, continues to lead the charge in addressing the rapidly evolving drone threat. Recent events, including a wave of high-profile drone sightings and growing concerns from law enforcement and public safety agencies, have brought the need for advanced countermeasures into sharp focus. DroneShield’s focused commitment to drone detection and counter-UAS technologies makes the company an invaluable resource for understanding and addressing the complex threats posed by unauthorized drone activity.

Recently, DroneShield has been at the center of a national conversation on the need for legislative reform to address gaps in U.S. drone laws. DroneShield’s leadership has resulted in frequent appearances in national media outlets. DroneShield’s Director of Public Safety, Tom Adams, has shared expert insights on major platforms such as CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, among others, where he provided commentary on counterdrone technologies, their critical role in providing accurate airspace awareness, and the urgent need for legislative reforms to allow for proper use of the technology to protect and inform the public.


Tom Adams, Director of Public Safety at DroneShield, provides expert commentary amidst the growing concern of drone sightings in the United States.

In a live broadcast with CNN, Tom Adams shared, “the current vulnerability being demonstrated is that current federal laws and regulations really limit the types of tools and technologies that owners and operators of critical infrastructure can deploy, as well as state and local law enforcement.”

The growing threat of unauthorized drones, from criminal activity to national security risks, highlights the need for robust legal frameworks that empower law enforcement agencies to take decisive action. DroneShield is leading calls for legislation that balances public safety and privacy, ensuring that counter-UAS technologies can be deployed effectively while upholding civil liberties.

“Our goal is simple – to provide the tools that allow law enforcement and public safety agencies to operate with confidence in protecting their communities,” said Matt McCrann, CEO of DroneShield USA. “DroneShield is committed to advocating for the responsible and effective use of counterdrone systems, and we look forward to continuing to support productive and informative discussion on the matter.”

As the industry’s foremost specialists in counter-UAS technology, DroneShield offers a suite of solutions focused on Radio Frequency sensing, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Sensor Fusion, Electronic Warfare, and Rapid Prototyping. The company’s products provide comprehensive, scalable protection for both public and private sectors and have been deployed by government agencies around the world.

In addition to its expertise, DroneShield has the rapid deployment capability necessary to meet the evolving needs of its customers. Whether responding to immediate security concerns at major events, critical infrastructure, or defense missions, DroneShield’s products are designed for fast integration, ensuring that operators have the protection they need at a moment’s notice.

As public concern continues to rise over drone-related incidents and reports, DroneShield remains dedicated to being at the forefront of both technological advancements and the ongoing conversation about how best to secure our skies.

Poland To Acquire Three MQ-9B SkyGuardians From GA-ASI

Friday, December 20th, 2024

SAN DIEGO – 16 December 2024 – General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) announces the sale of three MQ-9B SkyGuardian®Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) systems to the Polish Ministry of Defence. The MQ-9B is the newest model of RPA produced by GA-ASI, and will serve as the foundational intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platform for Poland. The sale to Poland also includes two Certifiable Ground Control Stations (CGCS) and three years of GA-ASI’s SkyGuardian Global Support Solutions.

MQ-9B delivers exceptionally long endurance and range, with auto takeoff and landing under SATCOM-only control, and will be able to operate in unsegregated airspace using the GA-ASI-developed Detect and Avoid system.

“The purchase of MQ-9B SkyGuardian will deliver persistent multi-domain situational awareness, which is vital to Poland,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “SkyGuardian is a critical security tool and GA-ASI is proud to continue to build on its strong partnership withPoland.”

In 2022, Poland began operating MQ-9A Reapers as part of a lease agreement with GA-ASI. The success of those missions opened the door for the purchase of the MQ-9B aircraft.

The Polish National Defense Ministry said: “In the presence of Deputy Prime MinisterW?adys?aw Kosiniak-Kamysz, a contract was concluded for the supply of MQ-9B SkyGuardian unmanned reconnaissance systems, which will increase the capabilities of the Polish Armed Forces in the field of ISR.”

First customer deliveries of MQ-9B began in 2022 to the U.K. Royal Air Force. Contracts have also been signed with Belgium, Canada, the Japan Coast Guard, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Taiwan, India, and the U.S. Air Force in support of Special Operations Command. MQ-9B has additionally supported various U.S. Navy exercises this year, including Northern Edge, Integrated Battle Problem, and Group Sail.

Red Sands III Exercise in Saudi Arabia: Rheinmetall Canada Demonstrates Its Drone Defence Capabilities at Ultra-Short Ranges

Wednesday, December 18th, 2024

A Rheinmetall system for combating drones at ultra-close range has demonstrated its effectiveness in a joint exercise with representatives of the U.S. Army Central Command and the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces. The Red Sands III exercise took place in September 2024 at the Shamal 2 firing range in north-eastern Saudi Arabia and focused on countering uncrewed aerial systems (C-UAS).

The multinational exercise provided a challenging environment for assessing C-UAS solutions. At the same time, it enabled technology developers and operational personnel to work together to close capability gaps. The exercise was preceded by successful qualification tests, which took place in the United States in the summer of 2024.

Designed as the last line of defence against small low-flying and fast-moving drones, Rheinmetall’s ultra Short-Range Air Defence (SHORAD) system offers an engagement range from 50 to 800 m. The Mission Master XT uncrewed ground system (UGS) serves as the carrier platform.

Developed by Rheinmetall Canada, the system consists of the Rheinmetall Fieldranger Multi remote-controlled weapon station with a twin Dillon Aero M134D minigun, a radar, an electronic optics package and an artificial intelligence (AI)-based target acquisition and tracking system. This advanced layered defence system is capable of engaging multiple threats with formidable fire power. It offers multi-domain capabilities that execute with precision when detecting, tracking and engaging aerial and ground threats.


Rheinmetall’s ultra SHORAD system mounted on the Mission Master XT

Strong performance despite harsh desert conditions

In the final phase of Red Sands III, five challenging scenarios were set up to simulate real-world threats. In all scenarios, participants’ capabilities were assessed against Group 2 and 3 multi-rotor drones as well as Group 3 fixed-wing aircraft. Rheinmetall’s ultra SHORAD system demonstrated superior capabilities, scoring hits on all drones and successfully neutralizing every multirotor drone on the first pass. This performance was only matched by Rheinmetall and participants with costly advanced missile systems.

Even under the extreme conditions of the Saudi Arabian desert – where temperatures sometimes reached up to 45 °C – Rheinmetall’s ultra SHORAD system excelled thanks to its rapid operational readiness and its resistance to weapon interference, overheating and interruptions to the power supply. Earlier exercises at Fort Drum NY, USA, also demonstrated the system’s resilience in high humidity and heavy rain. Another outstanding feature is the system’s AI-driven tracker, which detects and classifies drones long before they are engaged, even in dusty conditions and poor visibility.
In addition to its operational success, Rheinmetall’s system proved to be extremely efficient. With a low cost per engagement, it represents a sustainable and economical solution.

A benchmark for the future development of CUAS

The exercise – an example of the partnership between the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces and U.S. Army Central Command – provided a valuable platform for assessing and refining systems in real-world scenarios. “We are proud to have played a critical role in enhancing operational readiness and fostering innovation to effectively counter emerging threats,” said Alain Tremblay, Vice-President Business Development and Innovation at Rheinmetall Canada. Rheinmetall’s performance at Red Sands III underscores the company’s leadership in providing reliable, adaptable and cost-effective solutions that meet the evolving requirements of modern defence operations worldwide.

Carabineros De Chile Acquire Camcopter S-100 UAS for Security Operations

Wednesday, December 18th, 2024

Vienna, 16 December 2024 – Carabineros de Chile, the Chilean national police force, has acquired the CAMCOPTER® S-100 Unmanned Air System (UAS), making them the first police force in Latin America to implement this advanced technology for enhanced operational efficiency and public safety.

With its operational flexibility in demanding environments, the S-100 system will be deployed primarily in the Araucanía region, where difficult terrain makes conventional security operations particular challenging, if not impossible.

This strategic acquisition underlines Carabineros de Chile’s commitment to leveraging innovative technology to enhance their mission of ensuring public safety and security.

The CAMCOPTER® S-100’s autonomous features and robust performance in adverse conditions make it an invaluable tool for addressing the unique challenges faced by law enforcement in the region.

“We are honoured that Carabineros de Chile have selected the CAMCOPTER® S-100 to enhance their capabilities”, said Hans Georg Schiebel, Chairman of the Schiebel Group. “The system will play a key role in advancing their public safety operations.”

Ascend ISR Systems – MORSEL

Tuesday, December 17th, 2024

Purpose built for reconnaissance and infiltration applications, MORSEL is an adaptive signature mitigation system that dramatically reduces a UAV’s aerial profile when observed under modern thermal and third generation night vision devices.

Precision-cut in a wide array of day and night camouflage patterns, the MORSEL encases an aircraft’s surface area with a proprietary blend of weather-resistant aviation fabric.

However, installed by way of their basis attachment system and does not rely on the use of adhesive components for its primary layer.

Ascend offers versions of MORSEL specific to many popular commercial drones in a variety of different comers and visual camouflage patterns.

ascendisr.com/products/morsel

Neros Chooses Manufacturo to Help Build Unmanned Superiority at Scale

Friday, December 13th, 2024

We are pleased to announce that Neros Technologies, an enterprising start-up establishing their own unique niche in the defense and aerospace manufacturing industry, has chosen Manufacturo as its manufacturing solution provider.

Neros is on a mission to build effective, practical, unmanned systems that keep military deterrence viable and directly save American and allied lives on the battlefield. The young, ambitious company aims to be a leader in the restoration of our country’s depleted industrial base, building back up the gaps in American supply and manufacturing.

Neros has hit the ground running, recently breaking ground on a new state-of-the-art factory in El Segundo, California. Manufacturo’s integrated manufacturing management solution was a natural next step in their growth and expansion, with an end-goal of building a new generation of drones from an American supply chain at scale.

Manufacturo’s cloud-based platform provides Neros with the right combination of tools and technology to manage and synchronize their production lifecycle, achieve operational efficiencies, and simplify the complexities of high-volume UAV manufacturing.

As a young company looking to iterate and scale production, we needed a partner that could move at our speed and provide an integrated manufacturing management solution that was flexible, agile, and meets our unique needs and requirements

Manufacturo ‘s all-in-one system checked all those boxes, providing us with operational efficiencies across our production and supply chain. From the start, Manufacturo was highly engaged, honest and transparent, showed a genuine interest in our sustained success. We are very excited to partner with their team and grow our relationship.

– Soren Monroe-Anderson
CEO & Co-Founder at Neros

It’s an honor to be selected as Neros’ manufacturing solution system provider, supporting a noble mission to meet soldiers’ needs and help keep them safe. Secondarily, helping them achieve their goal of a supply chain and production process that is American based. We are very excited to be joining Neros on their journey, closely collaborating with a truly impressive organization that’s making a difference where it matters.

– James Montgomery
Chief Product Officer, Manufacturo

Rheinmetall and Auterion are Working Together on Drone Technology and Developing Standard Operating System for Military Industries

Tuesday, December 10th, 2024

Rheinmetall, a leading system supplier for defence technology and Auterion, the leading supplier of drone operating systems, will be working closely together to develop standardised software-based components for unmanned drone systems. The two companies signed an agreement, thereby establishing a long-term co-operation.

The two partners are combining their expertise in order to create a military industry standard for controlling and operating unmanned aerial, land and naval drone systems. The co-operation includes joint product development and sales activities for unmanned platforms. The resulting homogeneous operating system is expected to provide military users with a significant advantage.

As a drone manufacturer, Rheinmetall is drawing on the operational experience gained from the Luna NG and Aladin systems and incorporating it into its work with the customer. Various drone systems from the Düsseldorf-based technology group have already been in service for many years with the German Armed Forces / Bundeswehr and have been deployed in Ukraine for several months.

Dr Timo Haas, Chief Digital Officer at Rheinmetall AG, explains: “We see over two hundred different aerial unmanned systems in Ukraine. This makes military training very costly and time-consuming, and system interoperability is not guaranteed. Co-operation with Auterion and the development of a homogeneous operating system will enable the efficient and scalable deployment of unmanned systems. With our approach, there will be no need for system-dependent user training or system-specific integration into an overall system network in the future”.

Lorenz Meier, CEO of Auterion: “In the future, drones will be used in large quantities and, like computers and smartphones, they need a common operating system to make this happen. AuterionOS allows the customer to combine all drones on a common basis and to integrate different manufacturers into a common architecture. Our software stack has already been tried and tested in operation and thus enables software-defined defence”.

Japan Maritime Defense Force Selects SeaGuardians From GA-ASI

Thursday, December 5th, 2024

SAN DIEGO – 03 December 2024 – The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) has selected the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) SeaGuardian® Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) systems for its Long Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle program. This follows JMSDF use of SeaGuardian since May 2023 as part of its Medium-Altitude, Long Endurance (MALE) RPA System Trial Operations Project.
SeaGuardian has been used by JMSDF to conduct various tests including whether unmanned aircraft can supplant some of the missions currently accomplished with manned aircraft. SeaGuardian is a MALE RPA system that can fly for 24 hours or more, depending on the configuration.
GA-ASI has strengthened its Maritime Wide Area Surveillance (MWAS) for Japan with Optix+, which gathers information from the SeaGuardian sensors, as well as other data sources, displaying the full picture of surveillance information for its operator. This functionality makes it easy to task and direct its Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) information in real time. GA-ASI’s Optix+ software suite rapidly correlates and exploits collected data into an easily shared common operational picture. Having multi-source correlated data enables automatic detection of anomalous behaviors over waters.
SeaGuardian features two multi-mode maritime surface-search radars with an Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR) imaging mode, an Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver, and a High-Definition – Full-Motion Video sensor equipped with optical and infrared cameras as well as electronic intelligence receivers. This sensor suite enables real-time detection and identification of surface vessels over thousands of square nautical miles and provides automatic tracking of maritime targets and correlation of AIS transmitters with radar and electronic intelligence tracks.