Toronto Airport First to Test Liberty Defense’s HEXWAVE Detection Scanner
Liberty Defense says that Toronto’s Pearson International Airport has agreed to test the company’s HEXWAVE walk-through security detection scanner, becoming the first airport to test the portal. The trial will begin in the third quarter. Pearson is Canada’s largest airport. HEXWAVE uses 3-D radar imaging and artificial intelligence to detect and identify concealed weapons and other threats, both metallic and non-metallic. As a walk-through machine, there is no need to stop and remove everyday carry items such as keys, cell phones and other items from pockets. The system displays a standardized image of a person outline to show the location of a threat item. “The HEXWAVE is planned to act as an additional layer of security at airports, extending the perimeter of a screened area to include the entrance to the airport itself,” says Bill Frain, Liberty’s CEO.
DHS, Seattle Conduct Bio-Threat Preparedness Exercise
The Department of Homeland Security Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office and Seattle in January conducted a virtual tabletop exercise of the BioWatch biological threat detection program. The exercise, which included Seattle area emergency managers, public health officials, lab officials and first responders, was part of a regular BioWatch training effort. In addition to warning of a biological attack, BioWatch also provides opportunities to deploy countermeasures to save lives. “Our job at CWMD is to help ensure our partners across all levels of government have the training and resources needed to prepare to respond to this type of incident,” says Gary Rasicot, the acting assistant secretary for CWMD. The exercise tested, evaluated and allowed for improvements in coordination, communication and decision-making should a bio-terrorist attack occur.
Oklahoma State Establishes Counter-UAS Center for DoD
Oklahoma State Univ.’s Unmanned Systems Research Institute (USRI), in partnership with the Defense Department and industry, has formed a DoD Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (C-UAS) Center of Excellence that will develop and test C-UAS capabilities, and help build a security-cleared workforce to develop and test this technology. Funding for the new center was secured by Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, as part of the fiscal year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. “As drone use expands, the potential to use these systems for nefarious purposes also increases,” says Dr. Jamey Jacob, USRI director and OSU professor. “This Center of Excellence provides the capability to address the needs of the DoD at large by providing cutting edge counter-UAS solutions, more specifically for the Army, its training mission at Fort Sill and its counter-UAS training school, as well as provide for the safety and well-being of the United States.”
FCC Grants Waiver to Liberty Defense for HEXWAVE
The Federal Communications Commission in early February granted an order to Liberty Defense waiving the agency’s rules governing unlicensed ultra-wideband devices, clearing the path for the company to certify, market and begin commercializing its HEXWAVE walk-through threat detection imaging system. “This is a significant achievement and is the culmination of a process started over two years ago,” says Michael Lanzaro, Liberty’s president and chief technology officer. “We see this action as further validation of our threat screening technology. As we transition into our build of beta systems and subsequent trials, we can do so with the confidence of having a robust platform that meets the screening performance and regulatory requirements customers expect and demand.”
DroneShield, Teledyne FLIR Collaborate on Counter UAS
DroneShield says it is collaborating with Teledyne FLIR on a joint sensing and mitigation solution for unmanned aerial threats (UAS). The partnership includes Teledyne FLIR integrating its counter-UAS thermal imaging sensing technology with DroneShield’s C-UAS platform, to provide military customers with improved detection, tracking and identification of numerous unmanned threats in the thermal and radio frequency spectrums. DroneShield says the combined offering has secure an initial “marquee” customer, which is an unnamed Wester military agency that will deploy the system at a military test range. “With the ability to detect, identify, and track threats in the thermal and RF spectrums via powerful artificial intelligence algorithms, DroneShield and Teledyne FLIR offer a unique and differentiated capability, poised to augment a substantial number of multi-sensor C-UAS systems globally,” says Oleg Vornik, DroneShield’s CEO. Teledyne FLIR is part of Teledyne Technologies [TDY].
DroneShield, Allen Vanguard Partner on C-UAS, C-IED Solutions
DroneShield and the security firm Allen Vanguard have partnered to bring their companies’ respective solutions in counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) and counter-improvised explosive devices (C-IED) to bear for their customers. DroneShield, which is based in Australia and also has a U.S. headquarters, provides a range of C-UAS solutions to detect, track, identify and mitigate potential threats from small drones. U.S.-based Allen Vanguard, which also provides a radio frequency-based C-UAS system, provides electronic countermeasures to defeat IED and drone threats and also offers threat management services. “Many of our customers have mission sets that require both C-UAS and C-IED solutions,” says Oleg Vornik, DroneShield’s CEO. “By combining our solutions, both from technical and commercial distribution point of view, we can provide a more complete offering to the existing respective customers of both companies, as well as collaborate on channels to market. There are presently a number of active combined opportunities that we are excited to be pursuing.”