One of the major drone countermeasure companies, CERBAIR, has announced it will be setting up its first presence in Africa, in Morocco. The company, which has been around since 2015, specializes in comprehensive drone countermeasure systems.
As the number of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) continues to grow, so too does the demand for systems capable of detecting and disabling drones. One of the prominent firms in this field is CERBAIR, based in Montrouge, France.
It’s now establishing a subsidiary, CERBAIR AFRICA.
The need for detection
The CERBAIR website outlines some of the main ways in which smaller UAS are being used for illegal or malicious purposes. They include attacks, such as where small grenades or explosives are attached to and dropped from drones. There’s also concern, especially when drones are flying near airports, of the potential for mid-air collision with a crewed aircraft. Smugglers have used drones to deliver contraband, and others have used them to invade privacy.
And so the company is focused on building systems that can detect drones nearby, and using a gun that interferes with its Command & Control (C2) link, can literally bring a drone to the ground in a controlled fashion. The company makes multiple products, and some of them look pretty serious:
Growing concern in Africa
CERBAIR documents a number of recent incidents in African countries as part of the reason for its expansion. These include (with supporting links):
- Potential attacks with modified drones
- Security breaches/privacy intrusions
- Drones in proximity to airports/heliports
- Transportation of illicit drugs
CERBAIR AFRICA
The new subsidiary is a partnership. CERBAIR has joined with Delta Drone Africa (itself a subsidiary of the Delta Drone Group) and Morocco-based EM Digital. The news release continues:
Pooling know-how and technologies, these three companies will together offer, on the African continent, a unique offer combining surveillance of sensitive sites by autonomous drone and protection against malicious drones. CERBAIR and Delta Drone Africa are setting up a demonstration site between Rabat and Casablanca where the maturity and performance of the technologies of the two companies will be explained in operation. This facility in Morocco will be also a technical center for maintenance, support, and training.
“The creation of this new entity founded with the powerful Moroccan technological group EM DIGITAL will bring expertise and close support to our customers and partners on the continent,” states Lucas Le Bell, CEO of CERBAIR.
From today through Thursday (June 8-10), CERBAIR will be exhibiting at the ShieldAfrica event in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
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