Systems Already Delivered and Deployed
The Spanish Defence Ministry (MoD) has selected the AUDS detect-track-identify-defeat counter-drone system to protect critical assets and personnel from the growing threat of drones. The contract, awarded through Spanish company CIAC, local representative of co-developer Blighter Surveillance Systems, is believed to be worth about €2 million.
Developed in 2015 by a consortium of UK defence companies including Blighter Surveillance Systems, Chess Dynamics, and Enterprise Control Systems, AUDS is a mission-deployed fully-integrated, military grade counter-UAS system and was selected by the Spanish MoD after careful market research and extensive field trials.
“We are delighted to have secured yet another sale of our strategic counter-UAV system. This contract with the Spanish military follows the successful mission deployment of multiple AUDS systems by United States’ forces in 2016,” Mark Radford, CEO of Blighter Surveillance Systems, commented. “AUDS is fully developed so we have been able to meet the Spanish MoD’s rapid delivery timescale…. The systems were shipped in late May 2017 for immediate deployment following operator training.”
The AUDS team has now carried out 1,500+ unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sorties and tested against 60+ types of drones, including fixed wing and quadcopters. The system is positioned at the strategic end of the UAS countermeasures market for use by government agencies, the police and military to protect high value critical national infrastructure and personnel or strategically important sites/events. These include nuclear power stations, borders, political, sporting or VIP events, airports, and airbases.
AUDS can detect, track, identify and defeat a drone in approximately 15 seconds at a range of up to 10km or six miles. It detects a drone using an electronic scanning micro-Doppler radar, tracks it using precision infrared and daylight cameras and advanced video tracking software before using a non-kinetic radio frequency inhibitor to defeat the drone.
Tim Mahon