HENSOLDT expands “Xpeller” counter-UAV product family

HENSOLDT, a new sensor house, has entered into a collaboration in the area of counter-UAV with sensor provider Squarehead Technology AS, Oslo. HENSOLDT signed a collaboration agreement with Squarehead which adds its acoustic sensor “Discovair” to HENSOLDT’s “Xpeller” counter-UAV portfolio.

“Together with our partners, we have created a modular counter-UAV system which is extremely effective”, said Thomas Müller, CEO of HENSOLDT. “Xpeller demonstrates HENSOLDT’s innovative capabilities, answering our customer’s needs to detect and protect from new threats. Due to its versatility, Xpeller is able to offer maximum protection under a variety of conditions and ranges”. "We are excited to see how well our sensor is received by the integrator industry, and are very sure HENSOLDT's integrated system will benefit greatly from the use of it. The collaboration is a major sensor-fusion combined effort, proving that acoustics will remain a cornerstone of the drone detection industry - with our unique sensor array at the heart of it", says Stig Nyvold (CEO) of Squarehead Technology AS.

The modular “Xpeller” product family consists of HENSOLDT’s own products – radars, infrared cameras and long-range jammers – and close-in RF detectors from Danish partner company myDefence. With Discovair, the acoustic signature of drones can be used to detect and track such threats with a high grade of certainty up to a distance of several hundred meters. Thus, Squarehead’s product complements the existing set of Xpeller sensors in the near-field and line-of-sight area.

“Xpeller” offers very high effectiveness by combining sensor data from different sources with latest data fusion, signal analysis and jamming technologies. It uses radars, optical and other sensors to detect and identify the drone and assess its threat potential at ranges from a few hundred metres up to several kilometers depending on the type of drone. Based on an extensive threat library and real-time analysis of control signals a jammer then interrupts the link between drone and pilot and/or its navigation.

The modular “Xpeller” system concept relies on the selection of individual devices from the product family depending on customer requirements and local conditions. “Xpeller” has been tested extensively at HENSOLDT’s own premises and during customer presentations in Germany, France and Switzerland. An operational system is available on the market with delivery time depending on the required configuration.

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