From June 10-13, Wavefront Systems, MARSS and Forcys conducted demonstrations of multi-domain maritime counter drone solutions at Portland Port, in Dorset, UK. The event enabled stakeholders from across defence and the commercial sector the chance to view detection systems in operation against staged threats across air, surface and sub-surface domains.
At the end of each day was a stealth insertion scenario whereby a dive team tried to breach port security while an airborne drone operated simultaneously. This was designed to mimic real life scenarios in which malicious actors would seek to overwhelm port security with a multi-domain attack.
This comes against a backdrop of rapidly emerging threats in the maritime domain, whereby naval & commercial vessels, critical infrastructure and off-shore installations are all potential targets of malicious drone usage by state & non-state actors.
The usage of aerial, surface & sub-surface drones which pose a significantly different challenge to combating ground and aerial threats in the land domain. This challenge is exacerbated by the fact that existing counter-drone solutions are inevitably land focused, potentially leaving maritime operators exposed and under-equipped.
Responding to this, a key aspect of the event was the integration of Waverfront’s Sentindel IDS into MARSS’ NiDar C2 platform, designed to enable rapid decision-making and enhanced situational awareness for operators.
Paul Badger, Managing Director of Wavefront Systems reflected on the integration, stating that:
“Sentinel IDS is proven globally and widely trusted for its performance and reliability in securing maritime assets, from naval bases to critical national infrastructure. “But what we’re showing here is how that capability becomes even more powerful when interfaced with MARSS’ NiDAR. With NiDAR, we’re not just detecting threats – we’re closing the loop between detection and response, and we’re doing it in real time.”
Mike Collier, NATO Business Development Lead at NATO highlighted the threat posed in the maritime domain, adding:
“The threats to ports and coastal infrastructure are coming from the air, the surface and below the waterline, often all at once.”
These comments were echoed by Commander (Ret.) Justin Hains MBE at Forcys, who emphasised the vital need to integrated multiple systems to combat emerging maritime threats:
“What this week proved is that integrated systems, covering the air, surface, and subsurface domains, give decision-makers the edge they need to act fast and act right.”
Representatives from the commercial & naval sectors are expected to converge at SAE Media Group Defence’s upcoming Counter-UAS Maritime Conference, slated to take place in London in October. As the risks heighten, further collaborative efforts are likely to become more prevalent.
