extract of article in defence connect.march 2022. This has...

extract of article in defence connect.
march 2022.
This has involved the integration of DroneShield sensors into Thales’ military and aerospace systems and the testing of DroneShield’s RfOne long-range AI-enabled drone detection sensor.

 Thales Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) teams assessed the RfOne over a six-month period in northern France, with the measured detection ranges reportedly exceeding nominal specifications by 25 per cent.  

Younes Fada, Thales surveillance system architect manager, reflected on the growing importance of counter-UAS solutions in the modern battlespace.  

 “As drone threats escalate, Thales has been searching for a global ‘best of breed’ combination for all counter-drone capabilities, extensively testing and assessing each candidate system,” he said.

 “We are pleased with the performance of the DroneShield solutions and look forward to deploying them with our global customer base.”

Oleg Vornik, DroneShield CEO, welcomed the opportunity to further enhance the company’s global relationship with Thales.  

 “Thales has been a great defence and technology prime partner for us, having fielded our sensors as part of their combined solutions, and taking our offering to their global customer set,” he said.

 “In the current uncertain geopolitical environment globally, and an increasing use of drones in warfare, as well as nefarious use such as terrorism and nuisance, we have a strong pipeline of projects that we are working through.”

and from thalesgroup website.


DRONESHIELD: AN INNOVATIVE, AGILE MULTI-AWARD-WINNING AUSTRALIAN SME, DEVELOPING AND EXPORTING SOVEREIGN CAPABILITIES
22 OCT 2020
AUSTRALIAN SUPPLIERS
Most of us recall when drones first entered our reality. They were novel, if not slightly futuristic, pieces of kit and, much like most technologies, most only saw the positives. However, as time progressed and drones became more sophisticated and accessible, the founders of DroneShield knew that there may be risks associated with this rapid rise in use of commercial drones and other unmanned aerial systems (UAS). In response to this, they created world-leading technology to combat these risks - thus this innovative and multi-award-winning company was born.


Founded in the US in 2014 by two scientists, from Johns Hopkins and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) respectively, DroneShield may have started in the states but is now a wholly Australian owned and run company.

“We transitioned to an Australian owned business when DroneShield was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) in 2016 to raise capital to scale the business,” said DroneShield CEO, Oleg Vornik.

‘ASX has a great history in listing, and enabling investment in small fast-growing companies,’ Vornik states.

After the company was listed, DroneShield officially moved its operations to Australia, where the current 40-strong team, with the substantial majority of them engineers, are based.


“All of our engineers, with backgrounds ranging across hardware/FPGA, waveform design, software (front and back end), product and industrial design, are based in Australia and they really are some of the best and brightest minds, working on agile and complex technology solutions.”

It’s this agile and responsive technology development which has led them to adopt the moniker of ‘skunkworks’; one they use with pride (and in pitches).

“We do think of ourselves as skunkworks of complex engineering problems. We’re a relatively small, but high capability experimental business, that’s able to take cutting edge technology and deliver it to products that meet the needs of our customers in a short amount of time,” Vornik says.

In addition to their team, what sets DroneShield apart from other similar organisations are their end to end solutions. Not only does DroneShield detect UASs, they also identify them, track them and ultimately, if required, defeat them.


“The broad scope of our solutions is why I hesitate in calling our business ‘counter drone’ because, while we may have started with that component, we have expanded and grown to so much more than just UAS detection. I think the skunkworks term is probably more accurate, in that we offer capability as opposed to a specific narrow set of solutions. For example, some of our customers are interested in applying our skillsets completely outside of the UAS space, in detection of rogue RF emitters, or using our optical AI for detection and ID or other complex threats” Vornik states.

While the end to end offering is a major differentiator, another is the ability to take individual elements of their capabilities and provide tailor made solutions to their customers. This is a critical service, as while some customers may require detection and identification, they may not require tracking and defeat.


DroneShield’s customer base exists in both the civil market, providing solutions for areas such as large events, airports and power stations and the military environment including the work they’re doing with Thales.

This relationship with Thales started around three years ago when DroneShield began to investigate selling into Defence and Civilian airspace. This coincided with Thales Australia actively looking for innovative Australian SMEs that would be a good fit with Thales’ Group product portfolio, as part of the Australian Governments Global Supply Chain Program.

“When we connected with Thales Australia, they welcomed us with open arms.

end

if your were looking for where a potential takeover might come from, thales would have to be up there..im guessing this latest sensor fusion release might be the result of feedack they are getting for this "subcontracting" they do with thales...