Capture, detector.
SkyWall offers those exposed to the drone threat the ability to physically capture an aircraft and control its descent to the ground. The SkyWall system is a combination of a compressed gas powered smart launcher and an intelligent programmable projectile. The first system being released is SkyWall100; a man-portable handheld launcher that is highly mobile and a cost effective way of dealing with the drone threat. In September 2017 OpenWorks launched SkyWall300, an updated version of the SkyWall100 hand-held drone capturing system. SkyWall300 is an automatic version with an air powered system that launches the same range of net capture projectiles used with the SkyWall100 handheld system. It integrates with external drone detection and command and control systems to allow for maximum ease of use. It automatically tracks any drone prior to giving the remote operator the ability to command the system to capture the target.
In May 2021 Openworks has added a low-cost camera to its SkyAI optical classification and tracking technology. SkyAI “takes a standard Axis camera and adds Artificial Intelligence detection, tracking and motion control to provide robust performance that has been proven on small drones at over 1km with an Axis Q6215. SkyAI can also be trained to detect and track other targets over land, sea or air.”
Partnerships:
The SkyWall Patrol Net-Capture and HP47 handheld-jamming systems have been used together by leading specialist law enforcement across Europe since 2016. OpenWorks and HP has combined forces to show a new track-defeat concept at the NATO Technical Interoperability Exercise, in VreDePeel Airbase in the Netherlands in 2021. The HP47 system is attached to a quick-release mount on the SkyTrack positioner. Operators can position the SkyTrack-HP47 system in a fixed location for a temporary protective scenario, such as a roof top. The system can be operated remotely, with the operator receiving high-quality video of the tracked target and on-command precise jamming. The handheld jammer can be quickly disconnected when required and continue the mission in a handheld operation, while the SkyTrack system continues to provide overwatch.
In October 2018 OpenWorks Engineering Ltd and Liteye Systems Inc announced they formed an exclusive partnership to support military, law enforcement and security authorities with their counter-UAS missions; The two companies are joining forces to offer an integrated low-collateral-damage C-UAS defeat layer to Liteye’s counter unmanned systems offerings.
In September 2019 OpenWorks Engineering and SteelRock Technologies launched an integrated vehicle mounted counter-drone system, combining radio-frequency (RF) disruption with a physical net to provide a layered defence against unmanned aerial vehicles. Similar to a typical commercial vehicle, the drone defeat system is hidden under rapidly deployable covers to remain discreet when not in use. When a drone threat has been detected, the vehicle can be manoeuvred to defeat the target drone using either SteelRock’s NightFighter RF-based effector technology or the SkyWall net capture system. OpenWorks launched the handheld capture system SkyWall100 in 2016 and has since delivered systems to law enforcement and military customers around the world. The NightFighter C-UAV system from SteelRock was introduced at DSEI 2017, and is currently deployed in military, law enforcement and civil protection roles in multiple jurisdictions.
OpenWorks partners with ESG Elektroniksystem und Logistik GmbH, lead integrator of the GUARDION C-UAS system. OpenWorks engineers have turned the Axis Q6215-LE into an autonomous system that is easy to integrate and can provide many of the high-cost military capabilities at low-cost.
In late 2021 Rohde & Schwarz and OpenWorks collaborated to prove a new high performance and autonomous 3D detection and tracking system for use in C-UAS missions. Integrated through the new SAPIENT standard protocol and tested at the NATO Technical Interoperability Exercise (TIE) event in De Peel Airbase in the Netherlands, the solution combines the R&S ARDRONIS drone detection solution with the recently released SkyAI Autonomous Optical technology.
