DroneShield Ltd (ASX:DRO) has unveiled plans to expand into counterdrone capabilities through tethered aerial vehicles via a partnership with Zenith AeroTech.
Zenith AeroTech is a US-based leading developer of highly customisable, heavy-lift tethered aerial vehicles (TAVs). As part of the integration partnership, Zenith AeroTech deploys DroneShield’s DroneSentry-C2 command-and-control ecosystem into its own family of TAVs, along with a miniaturised radar, to counter drone or drone swarm attacks.
Kutlay Kaya, CEO of Zenith Aerotech, said the partnership between the two companies enables better, longer range drone detection, combined with countermeasures.
“By putting a detection capability on a TAV, which typically flies at 400 feet, you get better range than if you were to have these systems on a pole or ground vehicle,” Mr Kaya said. “Also, your alerts will be more accurate because, at elevation, you’ve eliminated clutter.”
Zenith AeroTech offers three different TAV platforms: Hexa, Quad 8, and Quadro. In contrast to standard drones, these three TAVs can stay aloft for hours—and even days—due to Zenith’s Ground Power-Tether Management System, which converts 120- or 240-volt AC power from a generator (or another source) into high-voltage DC, powering both platform and payload. The platforms themselves can carry 5-15kg of payload.
In addition to a capable drone-detection solution, Zenith AeroTech will be offering (where lawful) DroneShield’s soft kill measures, to be used by personnel on the ground.
Because we detect inbound drones from further away, we give personnel on the ground more time to jam them,” Mr Kaya said.
There are many potential markets for TAVs with counterdrone capabilities. The military could use them to protect forward operating bases; civilian security managers might have them fly over sensitive facilities; and law enforcement could use them to safeguard well-attended public events.
“We are already working with a couple of federal agencies, and we anticipate broader adoption of this solution,” Mr Kaya said.
DroneShield’s CEO, Oleg Vornik, said his company’s deployment with Zenith takes its cutting edge command-and-control ecosystem capabilities into the tethered drone domain, opening a new range of applications for our Government end-users.
“The dollar value of the sales to DroneShield due to the partnership is unknown and no revenue projection can be made at this stage, however the market will be updated once the financial effect of the agreement is known or can be estimated.”