VisionWave Technologies Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of VisionWave Holdings, has announced that it has begun R&D on Argus, a space-enabled AI counter drone system (C-UAS) created in collaboration with BladeRanger to defend against modern unmanned aircraft threats.
According to the company it is designed as a global counter-drone kill chain that operates from space and uses high-frequency (HF) communications to coordinate defence assets across wide areas.”The system combines space-based imaging, advanced object-recognition AI, resilient HF connectivity, and a layered mix of interceptors and effectors,” said the company in a press release. VisionWave has completed the system architecture and plans to file a patent application in the coming weeks covering its core technical innovations (which application has not yet been filed and for which no assurance of allowance can be given).
“Modern conflicts have shown that small drones and loitering munitions can redefine the battlefield with little warning,” said Doug Davis, VisionWave Chairman. “Argus is intended to be designed to designed to provide nations with a theater-scale shield that can detect hostile drones from space, classify them instantly, and coordinate a precise response in real time, even in highly contested environments.”
Argus is intended to be designed to function as a persistent, multi-layered defence system. In the space segment, satellites equipped with EO/IR and optional SAR/RF payloads are expected to provide continuous monitoring of borders, critical infrastructure, ports, and urban areas. These sensors are intended to detect and track the full spectrum of small and tactical dronesat operationally meaningful ranges, creating an early warning layer over wide areas.
On top of this sensor layer, Argus is intended to apply AI-driven, object-recognition technology that identifies structural features such as rotors, arms, fuselage, and wings. Using multi-view imagery, it reconstructs a virtual 3D model and fuses it with behavioral cues such as flight profile and loitering patterns to classify drone type, evaluate potential payloads, and generate a real-time threat score.
For resilient connectivity, Argus is intended to use an AI-controlled HF backbonethat is expected to maintain beyond line-of-sight communications between satellites, ground stations, interceptor sites, and remote sensors, even when SATCOM, cellular, or microwave links are jammed or disabled. The HF system continuously models ionospheric conditions and selects frequencies, paths, and antenna configurations to preserve reliable links.
A dedicated security layer uses asynchronous encryption to harden GPS and command-and-control (C2) links used to send instructions to drones, sensors, and interceptors, and to receive status and telemetry from them. A proprietary asynchronous key exchange is intended toprotect HF command and control channels and GPS correction messages, with the goal of making Argus highly resistant to jamming, spoofing, and man in the middle attacks. This cryptographic layer is designed to protect both navigation integrity and command authority in contested environments.
At the engagement layer, Argus is intended to use layered interceptors and effectors to coordinate a wide range of responses. These include interceptor drones, ground-based rapid-fire systems, RF jammers, deceptive navigation injectors, and optional lasers or high-power microwave assets. Together, they support both soft-kill and hard-kill options, allowing the system to tailor its response to each specific threat scenario.
For more information
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/12/02/3197933/0/en/VisionWave-Unveils-Argus-A-Space-Enabled-AI-Counter-Drone-System-to-be-Developed-in-Partnership-with-BladeRanger.html
