SkyWall300 Neutralises Fixed Wing Drones at Black Dart 2018.
In the first ever physical capture of a fixed wing drone, the SkyWall300 low-collateral net-capture system was shown to be highly effective against a range of targets.
The SkyWall300 counter-UAS system was independently evaluated by the US Government at the prestigious Black Dart 2018 event in Indiana over a two-week period in September 2018. This unique net-capture system showed that it was able to reliably neutralise the threat from a range of rotary and fixed wing drone types flying different sorties.
The Black Dart event is run annually by the US Government to evaluate a wide range of counter-UAS technologies. It allows technology providers to show how their systems can handle real world scenarios and is attended by delegates from a broad cross-section of government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defence.
SkyWall300 neutralises drones at range by launching a projectile which is timed to deploy in-front of the target and entangle it in a net. The SkyWall300 launcher can be used with a range of projectiles including the SP40 net and parachute option which lowers the captured drone to the ground under a parachute, and the SP10 net-only option which has a larger net for increased effectiveness. SkyWall300 uses deep-learning neural networks to identify and track the target drone – the operator need only decide when to initiate the capture.
SkyWall300 neutralises drones at range by launching a projectile which is timed to deploy in-front of the target and entangle it in a net. The SkyWall300 launcher can be used with a range of projectiles including the SP40 net and parachute option which lowers the captured drone to the ground under a parachute, and the SP10 net-only option which has a larger net for increased effectiveness. SkyWall300 uses deep-learning neural networks to identify and track the target drone – the operator need only decide when to initiate the capture.
Not only was this the first time that SkyWall300 was shown at Black Dart, it also represented the first joint marketing of SkyWall technology by Liteye Systems Inc (the US distributor for SkyWall technology) and OpenWorks Engineering (the UK based OEM). Liteye and OpenWorks have joined forces in the US to support military, law enforcement and security authorities with their counter-UAS missions.
“It is important for operatives on the front line of security and defense to have access to an integrated counter-UAS solution,”
“From the outset we designed SkyWall300 to be easily integrated with UAS detection technology and to complement other neutralisation methods so that users can have access to a flexible toolbox of solutions.” Stated Chris Down, the Managing Director of OpenWorks.
Future upgrades for SkyWall300 include an auto-reload system as well as further testing to push the capability boundaries.
