DroneShield UAS Detection System Scores Success at NCAA Football Game
Australia’s DroneShield
says its drone security technology was deployed at an NCAA Division I college football opening game to detect and track an unauthorized unmanned aircraft system (UAS) flying over the stadium and locate its operators. The company says the deployment was part of the university’s efforts to protect against drones. DroneShield says it’s rare that it is allowed to publicly disclose a drone security operation. The school wasn’t identified. DroneShield says its equipment allowed law enforcement officers to track the UAS in real-time and recover it at the site, where more than 100,000 spectators were present. The pilots were arrested.
Smiths Detection Checkpoint CT Systems Operating at Melbourne Airport
Smiths Detection says it computed tomography (CT)-based checkpoint baggage scanners have gone live at Terminal 4 at Melbourne Airport in Australia. Use of the HI-SCAN 6040 CTiX scanners at the domestic terminal allows travelers to keep their laptops and liquids insider their bags. The airport began trialing the technology in 2018. The CT systems are integrated with an automated tray return system, and a screening management platform that allows remote screening. The deployment consists of four units with two more planned in the terminal in the coming months and seven more in Terminal 2 in the next two months. “Our pilot program with Smiths Detection was a huge success with passengers, giving us the confidence to enhance our security screening operations using CT technology-based systems that are compliant with the Australian government regulations,” says Andrew Gardiner, Melbourne Airport Chief of Aviation. The airport says the deployments have reduced the passenger transit through the checkpoint by 50 percent, to a little more than a minute.
JFK Terminal One Launches Biometric Boarding
Boarding for international flights departing Terminal One at John F. Kennedy International Airport in now paperless with the deployment of facial recognition systems at departure gates. Portugal’s Vision-Box, the supplier of the seamless biometric boarding technology, and Terminal One Group Association L.P., which provides terminal services, announced the launch with Lufthansa being the first carrier to deploy the one-step paperless boarding process. Air France, Japan Airlines, and Norwegian Airlines are expected to add the facial recognition-based boarding checks as well. The deployment of the technology comes under U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Biometric Exit program, which uses facial recognition to record the departures of foreign nationals from the U.S. in accordance with their visa terms. Vision-Box provided its biometric eGate and Orchestra management platform for the installation. The paperless process also allows for faster boarding of the aircraft.
Dedrone Acquires DroneDefender from Battelle; Creates Federal Unit for Counter UAS
Dedrone, which develops and sells technology used to detect, track and identify small drones that may pose a threat to critical infrastructure or event security, has acquired a drone defeat platform from Battelle, providing it with a counter unmanned aircraft system (UAS) end-to-end solution. Terms of the deal for Battelle’s DroneDefender assets and intellectual property were not disclosed. With the acquisition, California-based Dedrone has established a new consulting business called Dedrone Defense to provide solutions and services to the federal market around drone detection and defeat. Dedrone’s legacy capability for detecting, tracking, identifying and localizing small UAS includes sensors and remote controls by their radio frequency sensors, a radar to detect larger fixed wing targets at over 2 kilometers and smaller multi-rotor drones at over 750 meters, and video cameras for visual identification and forensic recording. The company’s sensor capabilities are integrated through its DroneTracker software that includes video analytics to provide situational awareness. Dedrone’s software is an open platform and can be integrated with sensors and drone-defeat systems of other companies to provide customers counter UAS solutions tailored to their specific needs, Phil Pitsky, vice president of Dedrone’s Federal Operations, tells HSR.
Anduril Industries Launches Counter UAS System
Anduril Industries says it has developed and launched a drone that can take down other drones autonomously. The Interceptor drone is part of the California-based company’s Lattice AI counter unmanned aircraft system (UAS) solution to detect and interdict unmanned aircraft or autonomous drone systems. “Our counter UAS solution applies automated target acquisition to give human operators the capability to quickly and effectively neutralize these growing threats,” says Brian Schimpf, CEO of Anduril.
Cyxtera Solution Added to DHS Cyber Security Approved Products List
Cyxtera Technologies says its AppGate software-defined perimeter (SDP) has been added to the Department of Homeland Security’s Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program approved products list and is available through the CDM contract vehicle. The CDM program enables federal agencies to better monitor and secure their networks. “Cyxtera is now more readily available to federal, state, local, regional and tribal governments to better fortify networks and systems, and significantly reduce attack surfaces,” says retired Brig. Gen. Gregory Touhill, president of Cyxtera Federal Group and former chief information security officer of the U.S. government. “Enterprise-wide visibility of what assets, users and activities are on the network empowers agencies to effectively monitor, defend and respond to cyber incidents.
Joint Service CBRND Office Realigns To Focus On Protection, Medical And Sensors
The Defense Department’s Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO CBRND) has streamlined its organization to be more efficient, and better align investments to meet current and future warfighter needs. Under the new structure, the JPEO CBRND has trimmed its Joint Project Managers (JPM) to three areas, CBRN Protection, CBRN Sensors and CBRN Medical, from five previously. The prior JPM structure included NBC Contamination Avoidance, Information Systems, Protection, Medical Countermeasures Systems, and Guardian. Guardian and NBC Contamination Avoidance were consolidated into Sensors. The JPMs oversee acquisition programs and the development of CBRBD capabilities for the joint services. The restructuring includes four Joint Project Leads (JPLs) that are focused on CBRN Special Operations Forces, Information Management and Information Technology, Portfolio Resources, and Enabling Biotechnologies. The JPLs will also support portfolios across the JPEO.