Roark Aerospace launches Aero-Ark ‘Drone Detection as a Service’ Solution

Roark Aerospace has launched Aero-Ark, which it describes as “the world’s first drone detection as a service concept”. Referred to internally as ‘Iron Drone,’ the service already provides coverage for over 70 cities worldwide and is growing at the rate of 20% per month, the company states.

Entirely self-contained and deployable in static or mobile configurations, Aero-Ark uses forward scatter detection, AI and packet sniffing to detect, track and identify incursive drones in real time. System modularity enables operators to select capability in order to provide a standalone solution or complement existing solutions.

Forward scatter analysis involves detecting changes in radio waves between the onboard receiver and multiple low or middle-earth orbit satellites. Multiple Rf protocols, including VHF, UHF, L-Band and GNSS, are used to ensure continuous, fail-proof coverage. Any changes to the expected radio wave are passed through AI algorithims to determine whether the variation relates to a drone incursion and, if it does, the ongoing behaviour of the drone. The forward scatter analysis systems give vastly increased range over traditional channel scanning methodologies.

Packet sniffing involves continuous scanning of the 2.4GHz and 5GHz channels to detect and decrypt broadcast packets made by drones. Aero-Ark has been proven to detect and decrypt on both enhanced WiFi and Occusync across 99.8% of commercially available drones. These packets provide vital information to identify and track drones within a 3-5 mile radius. Aero-Ark uses omni-directional antenna, which deliver 360° scanning methodology from a single unit.

Aero-Ark has LTE, SATCOM, PoE and WiFi connectivity capabilities, enabling a backhaul of data to existing systems from anywhere in the world, including conversion of broadcast packets into formats such as ASTERIX. For authorised operators, the system can deploy counter UAS measures on a manual or automated basis. The system can be provided on an outright procurement basis, or on a rapid deployment basis, using available units for specific time periods or events, or on the ‘Aero-Ark as a service’ basis, in which capacity the company anticipates having installations covering all major cities around the world in the next 12 months, giving users access to drone detection at a fraction of the cost of typical physical deployment.