Dedrone, a leading provider of smart airspace security, has announced an extension of its partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under Section 383 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018. This partnership will involve testing of counter-drone detection, tracking, identification, and mitigation technologies to formulate more precise regulations for the use of such technologies at airports.

Dedrone was among the initial batch of technologies chosen for testing at Atlantic City International Airport and has been invited to extend its participation to a second airport (to be revealed later) as part of the FAA’s continuing research into enhancing airport safety against disruptions caused by drones.

“The threat of drone disruptions to airports and other critical infrastructure is persistent and escalating. We are honored to continue our work with the FAA to make airports safer for passengers, crew and airport staff by incorporating our counter drone technology into existing airport security apparatuses,” said Aaditya Devarakonda, CEO of Dedrone. “We look forward to further supporting the FAA at this additional airport after successful implementation in Atlantic City.”

At present, DedroneTracker, a sensor-fusion platform that employs advanced AI capabilities to detect, track, identify, and mitigate drone activity, is being utilized at both airports. By accurately detecting the presence of drones and determining their exact location, DedroneTracker provides the operator with a prioritized list of targets based on real-time drone behavior, imagery, flight modeling, and other inputs. The AI engine also tracks multiple friendly drones concurrently while autonomously interrogating the background.

Airport Counter-Drone Testing with the FAA

Dedrone has been chosen by the FAA to collaborate on the development of safe mitigation technologies for airports. This includes Dedrone’s latest product, the DedroneDefender precision jammer, which has narrow-band jamming capabilities to minimize interference with other devices and meets the military standard MIL-STD-810H. The use of narrow-band jamming reduces the risk of disrupting other systems in the area. Dedrone will work closely with the FAA to ensure that DedroneDefender and other mitigation technologies meet the necessary safety standards for use in airports.

The FAA launched an invitation-only testing program in February 2022, which will continue until September 30, 2023, across five different airports in the US, including Rickenbacker International Airport, Columbus, Ohio; Huntsville International Airport, Huntsville, Alabama; Syracuse Hancock International Airport, Syracuse, New York; Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Seattle, Washington, in addition to Atlantic City. Dedrone has been selected to participate in the program, which aims to test counterdrone detection and mitigation technologies to develop clearer regulations around their use at airports. The FAA will use the results of the testing to create a plan for the certification and authorization of these systems in the National Airspace System (NAS) and at airports nationwide.

Dedrone has expanded its partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to test counter-drone detection, tracking, identification, and mitigation technologies at multiple airports around the US. The testing began in February 2022 and will continue through September 30, 2023, at five airports, including Rickenbacker International Airport, Columbus, Ohio; Huntsville International Airport, Huntsville, Alabama; Syracuse Hancock International Airport, Syracuse, New York; Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Seattle, Washington, in addition to Atlantic City. Dedrone’s technology is already used by 30 US federal entities and implemented across 40 countries, including by four G-7 nation governments and over 100 critical infrastructure sites. Dedrone recently acquired Aerial Armor to further enhance its counter-drone capabilities and works with over 70 public safety agencies.

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