AeroDefense has partnered with the USAF to develop a drone detection system. Credit: Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash.

US-based privately held, woman-owned company AeroDefense has been contracted to develop a drone detection system for the US Air Force (USAF).

As part of the contract, the company will partner with the 87th Security Forces Squadron (SFS) and 621st Contingency Response Squadron (CRS) to produce the system.

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The company’s rapidly deployable and rugged system will be designed to track drones and pinpoint their pilots across the installation. It will defend its users against drone-borne attacks and unauthorised surveillance.

The company was selected in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programme. It is managed by AFWERX, Air Force Innovation team and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).

USAF 621st CRS lieutenant colonel Guarini of said: “When deploying to an allied country, we need equipment that operates within their regulatory environment, so AeroDefense technology will be crucial in protecting our troops.”

The company will adapt its existing drone detection technology, AirWarden, and add vehicle-mounted and drone detection sensors.

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USAF 87th SFS master sergeant Kologinsky said: “We thoroughly evaluated the drone detection market, and AeroDefense’s unique ability to find the pilot fills a critical gap in our ability to defend against unauthorized small unmanned aerial systems.”

The USAF and other US Department of Defense (DoD) customers are the expected potential users of the drone sensor.

AeroDefense is scheduled to conclude the delivery of the project by next year.

Earlier this week, a US-based cybersecurity company Shift5 was contracted by the USAF for the Phase II SBIR programme to enable and encourage innovation to improve the service’s effectiveness.

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