BlueHalo Acquires C-UAS Company Citadel Defense
BlueHalo has acquired Citadel Defense in a deal that complements its existing capabilities in countering unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) with a family of radio frequency (RF)-based products to detect and mitigate threats from small drones. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Citadel, which is based in San Diego, is a small business that develops and manufactures the Titan family of C-UAS solutions that are based on an open software architecture and can autonomously detect, track, identify and defeat small drones using electronic countermeasures. Citadel’s C-UAS solutions are used by U.S. military services, including Special Forces, Customs and Border Protection, and others and can be set up quickly for fixed and dismounted operations for defense, border and critical infrastructure protection. BlueHalo, a portfolio company of the private equity firm Arlington Capital Partners
, offers the LOCUST laser weapon system and its related target and acquisition system counter drones. The company also offers the RF-based ARGUS system for perimeter intrusion detection.
European City Deploys Dedrone Drone Security System
Dedrone says nearly a dozen of its DedroneSensors have been deployed by a major metropolitan city in Southern Europe to detect, track and locate drones and their pilots. The San Francisco-based company says the protected areas include tourist destinations, corporate and shopping districts, residential areas, and a port encompassing 50 square kilometers. Dedrone says installation began in Nov. 2020 and is showing between 120 and 200 alerts of unauthorized drone activity per day, including a 60 percent increase in such activity over the last six months. “Cities of the future are embracing the integration of drones for productive uses including deliveries, inspections, and public safety, while also considering how to manage traffic and differentiate between authorized and unauthorized drones or even malicious drones,” says Aaditya Devarakonda, Dedrone’s CEO. Dedrone offers airspace security-as-a-service to local governments. The company says its smart city offering will roll out to additional cities in Europe and the U.S. this year and in 2022.
Quantum-Systems Opening U.S. Office to Meet VTOL Drone Needs
Germany’s Quantum-Systems in Jan. 2022 will open a facility in California to meet growing sales of its Vector vertical take-off-and-landing drone for U.S. defense and security customers. The company says customers include Special Operations Forces and Customs and Border Protection. Quantum-Systems is partnered with Auterion Government Solutions, which is part of Switzerland-based Auterion, which provides its drone operating system. “The Auterion team has done a fantastic job of taking our lineup to market in North America,” says Florian Seibel, CEO and co-founder of Quantum-Systems. “Moving to the U.S. is a logical next step for Quantum-Systems to grow as a global sUAS provider, attracting the best talent and moving closer to our biggest customers. Our focus in the first few months will be to ramp up our U.S. production capabilities to be able to serve our customers directly from California.”