Drone mitigation is a key component of counter drone technology. Tracking and categorizing risks is important – but then you have to deal with them. That’s harder than it might seem. Britain brought out the full force of their military to deal with the rogue drones at Gatwick Airport in December of 2018, but they were unable to capture or down the offenders. “Shooting down” drones isn’t just illegal, it’s more difficult than you might think – and in complex urban environments or places with people on the ground, a rogue drone has to be stopped without having it fall on the people below.
That’s why counter UAS technology firms like Fortem Technologies are creating mitigation tools that complete their airspace security solutions. Today, Fortem announced that are shipping the AI-powered DroneHunter F700- a drone-catching drone, if you’ll excuse the phrase – to handle rogue drones safely in any environment. Check it out in the video below, and read on for more details.
The following is a Fortem press release.
Fortem Technologies Announces Shipment of New DroneHunter F700 – World’s Only Radar-Based Autonomous Interceptor Drone For Tracking and Stopping Dangerous Drones
New interchangeable countermeasure system can be customized on the fly for varied interdiction scenarios
PLEASANT GROVE, UT – April 2, 2020 – Fortem Technologies, Inc., a market leader of counter-drone security and defense solutions, announced today the shipment of the new AI-enabled F700 DroneHunter. In a world where jamming drones and drone swarms from the ground is no longer effective, the F700 stands alone as a safe, effective deterrent against the rising number of careless and criminal drones.
The ultimate advancements of the F700 are its new flexible undercarriage, which offers interchangeable counter measures for single, multiple or swarm-based threats and its new lightweight carbon fiber frame, enabling greater athleticism and speed. The F700 can carry multiple types of anti-drone countermeasures and deploy them in real-time, based on the dynamic threat that is detected miles beyond the protected area. The undercarriage features pogo pins and payload snaps that are integrated with AI-enabled firing and flight software.
The F700 offers significant payload capacity to handle situations over civilians where zero collateral damage is a requirement. AI decisions are now made in real-time to select the appropriate effectors for the detected threat. Complex algorithms for flying in urban areas are now supported. Heavier drones are tethered or parachuted with controlled descent into predetermined safe zones. The F700 is equipped with ground and airborne networked radar and corresponding optics giving our users total situational awareness and autonomous precision. F700 is custom designed and manufactured in the USA.
“We have advanced the DroneHunter F700 so that it can deliver any ordinance necessary to stop drones and to protect stadiums, refineries, campuses and entire metro regions,” said Fortem Technologies CEO, Timothy Bean. “It is the premiere AI-enabled interceptor drone in the world.”
Fortem is developing several DroneHunter mitigation types including directed energy.
About Fortem Technologies
Fortem Technologies is the leader in airspace awareness, security and defense. Through an advanced ecosystem of distributed radar, AI at the Edge, deep sensor integration, and autonomous drone capture, Fortem monitors, protects and defends the world’s venues, infrastructures, cities and regions from dangerous or malicious drone threats. The same ecosystem is accelerating the safety of the world’s airspace for urban air mobility. Based in Pleasant Grove, Utah, the company is privately held and backed by Boeing, Signia Venture Partners, DCVC, Mubadala Investment Company and others. For more information go to fortemtech.com
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
TWITTER:@spaldingbarker
Subscribe to DroneLife here.
[…] Fortem’s DroneHunter is equipped with onboard cameras that allow the unit “to examine targets at a safe range and keep them in sight.” The color of the lights is also configurable to the team using the drone – police may use blue, for example, while firefighters may use red. DroneHunter is designed for a variety of uses – from military deployments to security of public spaces. Depending on the appropriate rules of engagement for each venue – and the laws of the each country – “Escalation of force allows the DroneHunter to move into Attack Mode or Defense Mode…Effectiveness of the Attack Mode and Defense Mode captures of rotorcraft and fixed-wing has soared over the last 12 months with over 4,500 in air captures,” says the press release. […]