October 26, 2023 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR
Slovenian firm quietly provides surveillance drones to Ukraine
Slovenian drone maker C-Astral recently provided Belin or Bramor C4EYE drones to Ukrainian troops, Defense News has learned.
June 14, 2019 | International, Other Defence
Invisible Interdiction: Air Force Awards Contract for Rail-Mounted Anti-Drone System
By: Harry McNabb
While drone detection systems are proliferating recently, what to do when you've identified a rogue drone is still a problem. Solutions range from catcher drones equipped with nets to shoulder mounted “ray guns” and even drone hunting birds.
In a recent press release (below), Invisible Interdiction announced the award of a U.S. Air Force contract to design and test a small lightweight rail-mounted drone jamming module: a device that can be attached to other weapons carried by military personnel. We reached out to Invisible Interdiction president, Clay Wild to learn more about the development of their technology:
DRONELIFE: Congratulations on your award. Do you have a image that you could share with our readers?
Clay Wild: “The system itself is still a rendering, but I've attached a couple of photos that might be useful. It will be an interesting capability.”
DroneLife: Who is the Audience for your system? Whom is it designed for?
Clay Wild: “The initial users will be US Air Force Security Forces personnel. The guys who guard Air Force bases.
DRONELIFE: What is important about this award to Invisible Interdiction?
Clay Wild: “This is our first major contract award. We are going to provide Security Forces Airmen the ability to stop drones interfering with their operations without the need to carry extra equipment. Attaching the countermeasure to the weapon provides them instant access to this device”.
DRONELIFE: Tell us a little bit about Invisible Interdiction and how you got started.
Clay Wild: “Invisible Interdiction was started only a year ago in March 2018 but we've been in the counter-drone business for almost four years now with other organizations. We are currently marketing to defense agencies in the U.S. but have a very active international representative network around the world introducing our capabilities to those military and police agencies that are allowed to deploy jamming capabilities. As you are aware, the RF jamming is a very sensitive technology around the world because of the potential for collateral effects. With most drones using the WIFI bands for control, jamming this part of the spectrum can impact everyday things like WIFI routers, Bluetooth devices, etc. We happen to design very directional and low-power jamming systems, but they can be temporarily impactful nonetheless. The use of this, and other types of countermeasures, is an interesting debate that is just starting.”
DRONELIFE: How did you come up with the name of the company?
Clay Wild: “The company name Invisible Interdiction refers to the use of ‘invisible' RF energy for interdiction of errant drones. This appeared to be an interesting play on what we do. Once folks think about it for a minute, the light goes on and..”oh yeah, I get it.”
The following is an Invisible Interdiction press release.
Invisible Interdiction Awarded Air Force Contract for Rail-mounted
UAS Denial System.
Melbourne, FL, May 30, 2019: Melbourne, Florida based Invisible Interdiction has
been awarded a contract to design, test and qualify a very small, lightweight rail-
mounted C-UAS jamming module. This Phase 3 contract is the result of a Special Topic
SBIR award originally envisioned by the Air Force's Las Vegas-based innovation hub
called AFWERX. Several barriers to working with the Air Force were removed including
a shorter application process, an accelerated contract award and a shorter period of
performance. This effort started in the fall of 2018 in response to the Air Force's pursuit
of innovative counter-drone technologies. Invisible Interdiction submitted a concept
that was selected and proven feasible late last year. This UAS denial system will be
similar in size and weight to existing rail-mounted aiming lasers that are mounted on
the Picatinny rail of issued shotguns or M4 rifles. Noted Invisible Interdiction CEO Bryan
Sydnor, “We already have considerable experience designing small and lightweight
hand-held and modular jamming systems. This weapon attachable jamming module
will test our ability to design an effective capability that easily attaches to the service
rifle or shotgun.” Prototype testing and qualification is scheduled for later this summer
with production units available by the end of 2019.
On the same subject
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July 10, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
House panel isn’t giving defense industry all the COVID aid it wants
By: Joe Gould WASHINGTON ― The Pentagon would have $758 million to help mid-tier defense firms weather the financial effects of the coronavirus pandemic as part of the annual defense spending bill approved by the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday. But the aid, which was part of the panel's proposed $694.6 billion bill, falls short of the “lower double-digit billions” Pentagon officials say defense firms will claim under the stimulus bill Congress passed in March. As Congress debates the next stimulus, the defense industry has been urging lawmakers to appropriate enough to reimburse the Pentagon's suppliers for pandemic-related disruptions. Under Section 3610 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, contractors can seek to recover such costs, but Congress has yet to appropriate money for it. “While helpful and our industry appreciates the recognition of the need in the HAC mark and all the support we have received from the Pentagon and Congress to date, this level is insufficient to provide the support indicated previously by [the Office of the Secretary of Defense] and also by company leaders who have been communicating with the Pentagon, the Congress and the White House, including [the Office of Management and Budget],” said National Defense Industrial Association Vice Chairman Arnold Punaro. “We are urging that the next stimulus bill provide the needed funds particularly to support section 3610, the reasonable adjustments due to disruptions, and the added costs of protecting the workforces and doing business in a COVID-19 environment,” he added. Not all of the details of the defense bill were available Wednesday, but a committee summary says it provides “$758 million to mitigate the impacts of COVID on second, third, and fourth tier suppliers in the Defense Industrial Base.” Such support would supplement $688 million for the defense-industrial base that the Department of Defense previously set aside as part of the $10.5 billion it got from the coronavirus relief fund created under the CARES Act. Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord warned Congress last month that the DoD's pandemic-related costs, which include 3,610 claims, may nonetheless force it to dip into modernization and readiness accounts if Congress doesn't backfill the money. “The department does not have the funding to cover these costs,” she said. The House Appropriations Committee's bill is not the last word, and Republicans, who control the Senate and the White House, will negotiate over the final numbers. “FY21 appropriations bills must be changed before they have any chance of becoming law,” the panel's top Republican, Rep. Kay Granger of Texas, said Tuesday. This week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., began to outline a forthcoming GOP-drafted coronavirus relief package, but it was not immediately revealed what the Pentagon's share might be. House Democrats are reportedly seeking $250 billion in emergency spending for an array of issues, to include rural broadband and transportation infrastructure to health care and global coronavirus relief. As lawmakers reconcile these many priorities, at least one one influential lawmaker on defense ― House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash. ― has said repeatedly that the Defense Department should draw from its existing budget. The Project on Government Oversight's Mandy Smithberger said the Pentagon has yet to make the case that payments to the defense industry will be the best means to stimulate the economy. “Even though they often don't act like it, resources are still limited to a degree and Congress has to consider fairness as part of that distribution, including who needs the government's help most, and which sectors are going to do the most to help the country,” Smithberger said. “These companies have much better access to capital than a number of other industries and individuals. Even from a reviving-the-economy perspective, this sector has always been one of the poorer performers per dollar for job creation.” The health care and education sectors create more than twice as many jobs per $1 million than the military, and the energy and infrastructure sectors create 40 percent more, according a 2019 analysis by the Costs of War project at Brown University. https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2020/07/08/house-panel-isnt-giving-defense-industry-all-the-covid-aid-it-wants/
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February 22, 2021 | International, Aerospace
Canadian aviation company manufacturing air sanitizers to fight COVID-19
A Canadian company is developing air sanitizers to help in the fight against COVID-19.