US airspace security specialist Fortem Technologies says it has drawn from its range of anti-drone detection and neutralization systems to develop UAV defense platforms adapted specifically to the needs of Ukraine forces battling Russian invaders.
Utah-based Fortem announced the further miniaturization and simplification of its anti-drone products to provide even easier portability and use by Ukraine troops defending the nation from Russian armed forces. The company said that adaptation process was carried out in close cooperation with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, and sought to extend and enhance the country’s ability to detect and eliminate smaller Russian UAVs.
Prior to that redevelopment work, Fortem had been supplying Ukraine with its SkyDome portable anti-drone solution. That command tech interfaces with the DroneHunter UAV that autonomously searches and neutralizes hostile craft in both day and nighttime deployment. Fortem had also provided Ukraine on-site training and support with those assets.
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Fortem officials described the move of tailoring its tech to the small, lightweight, and quickly deployed needs of Ukraine forces as a logical step in adapting its anti-drone platforms – largely designed for potential threats in non-combat environments – to that specific conflict.
“We work every day to keep venues, campuses, and entire cities protected from rogue drone incursions,” said Fortem Technologies CEO Timothy Bean. “When our predictions came true – that drones would be relied upon heavily in the next major conflict – we knew we had to act quickly to arm our allies with the technology necessary to keep themselves safe from drone surveillance and attacks.”
The portable SkyDome anti-drone solution Fortem has supplied Ukraine features rapid and easy set up and off-grid capacities that require no connection to power networks or generators. Those characteristics allow expeditionary forces to operate at the borders of conflicts, independent of operating infrastructure or heavy and noisy support equipment.
Its remote operation capabilities allow technicians to use the system from a safe distance, reducing the risk of retaliatory air strikes. The unit’s detection sensors also function at a very high beam-width, and low power intakes, making it difficult for hostile forces to detect electronically.
Related topic: Drone performance in Ukraine may force military strategy rethink
Fortem, which recently formed a partnership with electronics giant Toshiba, is one of many consumer and military-grade UAV, systems, counter-drone, and service companies to have supplied gear and training to Ukraine’s battle against Russia’s invasion. The inflow and performance of small, off-the-shelf drones in the conflict has led some experts to predict increasing deployment of the craft in war situations will now force military planners to entirely rethink decades of fundamental strategies.
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