Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) firm, Dedrone, is a San Francisco-based firm that specializes in counter-drone technology, which has raised $12.1 million in funding from investors to move the company forward in the counter-drone technology market.
In a news release on October 1, 2020, Dedrone announced this new development.
The funding was led by the European investment company, TempoCap, which has invested previously in leading security technologies. Previously, therefore, Dedrone seemed like a logical fit.
The following press release explains:
“Quite simply, this is cutting edge-technology delivering a massive difference to governments, businesses and critical national infrastructure. It’s a market that is growing rapidly, and we’re investing in the best company in this sector.”*
Its products are designed to detect, identify, and disrupt drones that are being flown for malicious purposes. Facilities such as airports, prisons, and even sports stadiums, are often more vulnerable to the careless — even malicious — use of drones.
Dedrone is in the forefront of building products that can identify drones, based on the Command and Control radio signals. In addition, it supplements that intelligence with radar and cameras that can zero in on a target and track it. In circumstances or locations where drones are permitted by law, drone pilots can use electronic impulses to disrupt that C2 link and force an illegal nor malicious drone to come down and land.
“Following this successful investment, Dedrone will accelerate development of its best-in-class platform providing early warning, classification of, and mitigation against drone threats. The Dedrone platform is a complete counter-drone solution designed to detect, and classify drone-based threats. The Dedrone system detects approaching drones with the help of radio sensors as well as special camera and radar systems, whose data are processed by the intelligent DroneTracker software.”*
Dedrone claims its system can be set up in a mere 15 minutes.
Dedrone System
Dedrone produces an entire system, which is designed specifically for smaller drones. The company says its Software-as-a-Solution (SaaS) combines machine-learning software with specialized sensors. Together, they detect, locate, identify, and even mitigate, drone threats. Its systems are in use at “hundreds” of locations worldwide. Dedrone units stand guard at sensitive government, military, penal, and other locations, including in instances where there is critical infrastructure.
In the past few years, Drone’s technology has advanced significantly, evidenced by how drones are commonly used in virtually any kind of surveying, disaster relief, delivery, and various applications in business. Such advancement, however, does not guard against drones being used by the wrong people since they are accessible, capable, and easy to operate, which makes it especially suitable for hacking, surveillance, and terrorism.
Olav Ostin, Managing Partner of TempoCap, pointed out:
“The impact of illicit drone usage has been felt by thousands of people and organizations and unfortunately, it’s a threat that’s only going to get more prevalent as drones become more widespread. We’re excited to address this challenge head-on.”*
Future
In the right hands, drones’ accessibility, capabilities and ease of flying, provides significant help in such areas as in surveying, disaster relief, delivery, and various business and consumer applications. On the contrary, in the wrong hands, a drone’s accessibility, capabilities, and ease of flying, can make it especially suitable for hacking, surveillance and terrorism.This is why Dedrone’s ability to raise $12.1million in funding from investors to move forward in the counter-drone technology is so important. After all, it enables their company to more aggressively move forward in using technology for good and for proactively averting evil.
