Honeywell [HON] has launched a platform to detect, track, and counter swarms of small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) while stationary or on the move that it will demonstrate for the Air Force in January 2025.
For the demonstration, the Stationary and Mobile UAS Reveal and Intercept system will be used to protect high-value assets from drone swarms while on the move, Honeywell said on Monday. The system was selected by the Air Force Global Strike Command using the STRIKEWERX and AFWERX innovation unit.
Honeywell’s teammates include BlueHalo, Leonardo DRS [DRS], Pierce Aerospace
, Silent Sentinel, Walaris, Rocky Research, and Versatol. Components of the system “include radio frequency detection with sensor technology that uses light to detect, track, and identify objects as well as offensive drones to counter swarms,” the company said.
Honeywell did not disclose each of its teammates’ contributions. Leonardo DRS already provides the Mobile-Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft Integrated Defeat System (M-LIDS) to the Army for counter-UAS operations. M-LIDS includes kinetic and electronic warfare mitigation systems and Leonard DRS’s Rada radar for detecting and tracking drones.
BlueHalo offers radio frequency and directed energy technologies for the C-UAS mission and is developing a long-range missile for the Army that would be used against drones. Silent Sentinel provides electro-optical cameras for detecting and tracking drones.
Pierce Aerospace provides remote identity solutions for drones and low-altitude airspace monitoring. AirScout, a Walaris software product, fuses sensor data in real time. Rocky Research is part of Honeywell. Verstol provides the Killer Bee drone that can counter other drones as a munition or via net capture.
“Our Stationary and Mobile UAS Reveal and Intercept system is a highly reliable, scalable, and fully integrated defensive system that has been developed after extensive research and testing with the needs of military operators in mind,” Matt Milas, president of Defense and Space for Honeywell Aerospace Technologies, said in a statement. “This system’s multi-layered defensive capabilities will set it apart in the industry and enable it to not only track and detect, but also defeat multiple threats.”