Drones in the air
Photo courtesy of https://unsplash.com/@dyana
In early 2020, ahead of the pandemic, DDS absorbed Rogue Squadron, a counter-small unmanned aerial systems (C-sUAS) group into its roster of highly skilled technologists. These technical wizards specialize in rapid prototyping and building best-in-class products. Now, DDS will transfer a drone situational awareness and detection capability to the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL).
Drones are nothing new and are actually becoming more and more ubiquitous. You probably know at least one person who owns a drone. Given that we are the tech leaders and innovators working at the service of the Secretary of Defense in the Defense Department, counter-UAS just happens to be one of DDS’ portfolios. We incubate, grow and eventually determine a permanent home for capabilities and products that arise from these portfolios.
“One of DDS’s superpowers is the ability to rapidly build, buy and deploy the best in technology that can be scaled to meet the needs of the DOD and the broader defense community,” said Katie Olson, Acting Director of DDS.
As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the world, we were exploring ways to improve and modernize how the Defense Department equips the U.S. military to sense and obtain a single common operating picture of drones in the air and to defeat if necessary.
In no time, we were able to put our unparalleled capabilities to work. Having collaborated before on counter-UAS operations, the U.S. Navy tapped DDS to help secure their COVID-19 relief mission ships, Comfort and Mercy, that were docked off the coasts of Los Angeles and New York City. The concern wasn’t foreign or even an adversarial threat, but rather the curiosity of drone enthusiasts located in and around the cities wanting to get a closer look at what was happening on the ships. So, the Navy turned to DDS to use the suite of low-cost counter drone technologies providing accurate detection.
If there was no imminent threat, why would counter drone technology help in this type of situation? Situational awareness is important for national defense. It’s about understanding and having awareness of activity, collecting data that can sharpen perspective and inform better decision-making.
We’re transitioning these capabilities to AFRL, a natural next temporary home for the sensor-suite that integrates with the Air Force’s NINJA (Negation of Improvised Non-State Joint Aerial system) program. AFRL will be able to continue development while we will continue to use the capabilities and focus more on rapid response during times of crisis. The new partnership allows the counter-drone capabilities to thrive and evolve until a permanent program office is identified.
The transition demonstrates the power of two forward-leaning DOD organizations coming together to break down barriers and achieve innovative digital environments that result in more sustainable, cost-effective programs that improve and modernize the DOD.
Hear more from Katie Olson, DDS’ Acting Director, as she talks about this new partnership in FedScoop’s The Daily Scoop podcast.
