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The ASX-listed firm has unveiled plans to expand into the counter-drone market, after partnering with a US-based firm.
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DroneShield has partnered with Zenith AeroTech, in a bid to broaden its offering to include counter-drone capabilities delivered via tethered aerial vehicles (TAV).
As part of the collaboration, Zenith AeroTech is expected to deploy DroneShield’s DroneSentry-C2 command-and-control ecosystem and a miniaturised radar into its TAV platforms, supporting counter drone or drone swarm attacks.
According to DroneShield, the partnership would enhance longer range drone detection and countermeasure capabilities.
“By putting a detection capability on a TAV, which typically flies at 400 feet, you get better range than if you were to have these systems on a pole or ground vehicle,” Kutlay Kaya, CEO of Zenith Aerotech, said.
“Also, your alerts will be more accurate because, at elevation, you’ve eliminated clutter.”
Zenith AeroTech offers three TAV variants — Hexa, Quad 8, and Quadro — designed to stay aloft for an extended period of time by leveraging Zenith’s Ground Power-Tether Management System, while carrying five to 15 kilograms of payload.
The system has been built to convert 120 or 240-volt AC power from a generator into high-voltage DC, powering both platform and payload.
Zenith AeroTech is also expected to offer DroneShield’s ‘soft kill measures’, used by personnel on the ground.
“Because we detect inbound drones from further away, we give personnel on the ground more time to jam them,” Kaya added.
“We are already working with a couple of federal agencies, and we anticipate broader adoption of this solution.”
DroneShield CEO Oleg Vornik also reflected on the benefits of the new partnership.
“DroneShield’s deployment with Zenith takes our cutting-edge command-and-control ecosystem capabilities into the tethered drone domain, opening a new range of applications for our government end-users,” Vornik said.
The partnership is a rolling agreement, with either party permitted to terminate the agreement with a 90-day notice.
[Related: Drone Shield to collaborate with Department of Homeland Security]
Charbel Kadib
News Editor – Defence and Security, Momentum Media
Prior to joining the defence and aerospace team in 2020, Charbel was news editor of The Adviser and Mortgage Business, where he covered developments in the banking and financial services sector for three years. Charbel has a keen interest in geopolitics and international relations, graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a double major in politics and journalism. Charbel has also completed internships with The Australian Department of Communications and the Arts and public relations agency Fifty Acres.
