Parsons opens C-UAS Center of Excellence in West Virginia to enhance integrated security solutions

Parsons Corporation has established a Counter-UAS Center of Excellence at Summit Point, West Virginia, with the primary objective of enhancing integrated security solutions, the company announced on 1 November.

An hour from Washington, DC and – importantly – beyond national capital region drone flight restrictions, the facility is both easily accessible and sufficiently remote to allow for testing and integration of radar and RF detection and mitigation capabilities. Company and partner personnel can integrate and test solutions without the scheduling and logistics challenges associated with using one of the national ranges. By combining the test and integration facilities in a common location, our engineers can rapidly iterate solutions to some of the unique challenges of C-UAS and present them to customers.

The combination of threats, mission requirements and regulatory considerations, combined with the rapid evolution of UAS and C-UAS technologies, requires a flexible ‘system of systems approach to developing solutions. Expanding the C-UAS Center of Excellence with a second integration and test range and a Technology Integration Center (TIC) that includes the modelling and simulation capabilities of the company’s Digital Threat, Testing, and Training Environment (DT3E) meets this need.

The new Integration and Test Range will support both the C-UAS mission and a broader installation and perimeter security mission with the ability to install, integrate, and test a variety of sensors, including ground vibration, tethered drones for aerial surveillance, and specialised cameras for intruder detection. It will further support the integration and testing of novel UAS and UGS sensors being developed by our team for missions including search and rescue, surveillance, perimeter security, and access control.

The Technology Integration Center includes a state-of-the-art command centre and a micro manufacturing and integration lab. The simulated digital environment enabled by DT3E allows for modelling actual installations for planning and CONOPS/TTP development, operator training, and system familiarization in the context of actual deployed environments.