valid for a five-year acquisition period until February 2027, follows what the company describes as a “substantive due diligence process” over the last 18 months. By adding DroneShield to its state-wide law enforcement procurement vehicle, the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) provides a streamlined purchasing path to any Texas agency requiring immediate protection from the threat of rogue drones. The DIR contract products include eight-week threat-assessment packages for agencies who need to evaluate the quantity and types of drones operating in their area, as well as turnkey counter-drone detection, classification, tracking, and defeat solutions. DroneShield’s comprehensive counter-drone products deliver hand-held protection, go-anywhere vehicle-mounted defence, and persistent long-range security for fixed sites. “DroneShield has heard loudly and clearly that state and local government agencies need immediate and reliable protection from drones operated by bad actors. It’s a rapidly increasing threat,” explained DroneShield’s US CEO, Matt McCrann. UK NCSC Warns of Russia-Ukraine Cyber Fallout The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has warned organisations in Britain to enhance their resilience to cyber incidents in light of the ongoing situation in Ukraine. No new or specific threat has been identified, the Centre says, nor is there any indication UK businesses are being targeted specifically. But, it says, the current pattern appears similar to that seen in 2017, when a cyber attack the UK has attributed to the Russian state was launched against Ukrainian companies. The NotPetya malware wiped servers on affected networks, with losses running into billions worldwide. The NCSC, part of the UK’s signals-intelligence agency, GCHQ, says organisations should be particularly mindful of basic cybersecurity processes and procedures at present. Advice already issued means most entities should be carrying out basic “cyber hygiene”, such as promptly applying vendor patches, enabling multi-factor authentication, checking that backup procedures and systems are working, and keeping up to date with threat information. These jobs are particularly important in the present context, the Centre says. “The NCSC is committed to raising awareness of evolving cyber threats and presenting actionable steps to mitigate them,” said the Centre’s Director of Operations, Paul Chichester. “While we are unaware of any specific cyber threats to UK organisations in relation to events in Ukraine, we are monitoring the situation closely and it is vital that organisations follow the guidance to ensure they are resilient. Over several years, we have observed a pattern of malicious Russian behaviour in cyberspace. Last week’s incidents in Ukraine bear the hallmarks of similar Russian activity we have observed before.” The system is marketed as a solution for hostage-release situations and as a method of entry. The events cause a loud noise – measured at 167db, between a .357 handgun being fired and a rocket launch in terms of perceived volume – but with a heavily reduced risk of collateral damage. The product has already attracted considerable attention from the law enforcement and special operations communities as a modern effective alternative to more traditional ‘flash-bang’ devices. The partnership will involve the companies developing a module that can mount the Typhon distraction effector on the Nexter wheeled robot. This could then be driven covertly into a deployment area – the vehicle is small, weighing around 5kg, and has a top speed of 13km/h – and the distraction events triggered remotely. The module will include two Typhon cartridges, each of which is capable of deploying five distraction events. These can be triggered individually or in series, simulating rapid weapon fire. Typhon is planning further cartridge-based products, including kinetic payloads. The DS100 module, already available, can be mounted on unmanned aircraft. RUAG Ammotec Launches Eco-Friendly Training Round RUAG Ammotec has announced a new addition to its training product portfolio – a lead-free cartridge and ammunition. The 9×19 Training SX cartridge and 6.1g rounds will be available to military and government customers from the second quarter of this year. They join a number of other RUAG products which replace the lead traditionally found in training systems with pollutant-free or low-pollutant alternatives. The 6.1g monolithic copper bullet has a low-pollutant primer. According to the company, the cartridge offers the same point of impact and comparable recoil to the ACTION 4 cartridge, “thanks to the carefully calibrated charge process“. The cartridge meets all relevant standards and tests, and has been approved for use “with the most widely used sidearms and submachine guns,” the company states. “Demand from our government clients for pollutant- and lead-free training ammunition is constantly growing,” said Pascal Emmenegger, defence and law enforcement portfolio manager for RUAG Ammotec. “The new 9×19 LF Training SX cartridge allows us to fulfil the needs of our clients for improved health protection during training on shooting ranges“. Texas Signs Framework Contract with DroneShield The State of Texas has entered into a framework contract agreement with DroneShield for simplified purchase of the company’s counter-UAS (C-UAS) solutions by state and local government, education, and other public entities, the company announced on 9 February. The agreement, The DroneSentry mobile solution deployed for a US government customer. (Photo: DroneShield) The Typhon payload provides x2 user replaceable 167dB distraction cartridges initiated by encrypted RF. (Photo: Typhon) 58 · MT 2/2022 Homeland Security Forum
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