MARSS demos NiDAR’s C-UAS capabilities to UK MoD
Image courtesy MARSS
Alongside partner defence brands, Saab and MSI, MARSS showed how NiDAR optimises the end-to-end kill chain during a series of experiments at the Defence BattleLab in Dorset.
As seen recently in Ukraine and routinely in the Middle East, drones and other Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) pose an ever-increasing threat to critical infrastructure, civilian life and military operations. They are cheap, disposable and lethal, with people being targeted by weaponised drones on a daily basis.
Developed by MARSS, NiDAR combines state-of-the-art sensors, effectors and AI into a smart and intuitive Command and Control (C2) system. NiDAR optimises the operator interface, automates detection and reduces the response time to identify potential threats.
The experiments at Defence BattleLab were designed by the UK MoD, to compare a traditional C2 system – where a number of operators use multiple data streams to compile information to identify the threat and design potential countermeasures – with NiDAR, a single interface that presents information and available countermeasures, and can be operated by a single user with minimal training.
During the experiment, an independent pilot flew a tactical reconnaissance drone to imitate a threat. The results showed that NiDAR’s C2 system, was able to autonomously detect the threat and interrogate the data to offer a tactical decision significantly faster than a traditional C2 setup with multiple highly trained operators.
Mike Collier, MARSS’ Business Development Manager, said: “We set out to show the art of the possible, using NiDAR to create a dynamic, capable, evolving C2. This was a great opportunity to compare our system to a traditional C2 setup and show just how much more efficient operations can be.”
Connected to NiDAR were a range of sensors including a SAAB Giraffe radar, optics by L3 Harris and countermeasures by MSI Defence. Each sensor fed data to the system, where NiDAR then presented information and available options to the user, such as locations and assets to be protected, object types and threat classification and any available countermeasures.
Rob Balloch, MARSS VP Sales said: “Thank you to jHub, BattleLab, the UK MoD and our partners for being part of this highly successful event. We look forward to continuing the conversation and looking at how MARSS can help deliver world leading C2 to enhance national security and continue saving lives and protecting infrastructure.”
