The Defence Security and Equipment International (DSEI) 2023 exhibition expresses its mission in the tagline: “achieving an integrated force” – a mission that MARSS, a global tech company attending the event, delivers extensively across its NiDAR network.
NiDAR offers a single tactical picture where operators can view and control multi-domain information through a C2 centre interface that integrates intelligence and surveillance streams as well as various types of sensors to provide full situational awareness.
The system can automatically detect, classify, and respond to multi-domain asymmetric threats – including unmanned aerial systems (UASs), fast small craft, divers and mini-submarines. MARSS uses artificial intelligence to power its threat detection tech, alerting users of critical events.
This process reduces the burden on operators and associated human risk factors, providing faster decision-support and allowing for a more rapid and accurate response rate.
Operators can use the system to protect a variety of different and covert military and civil defence complexes, including fixed sites such as submarine ports as well as deployable, expeditionary applications with its C2 centre containers.
At DSEI23, the founder and CEO of MARSS Johannes Pinl stated that MARSS designed this network to “ultimate the response as much as possible, and as fast as possible.”
Swift impact C-UAS drones
The proliferated use of UASs in Ukraine has propelled the market so much that GlobalData intelligence forecasts the market growth from $1.1bn this year to $18.4bn by 2033 – a compound annual growth rate of 5.2% in the next ten years. NiDAR responds to this emerging aerial threat, Pinl stated.
The system’s counter-UAS (C-UAS) fuses multiple surveillance data streams including radar, electro-optical, ADS-B, radio frequency monitoring and intelligence databases to detect UAS threats.
Activities and threats around an asset or complex are autonomously classified via intelligent machine learning before alerting operators with decision support on how best to respond with countermeasures, the weapon systems are similarly intuitive.
MARSS displayed their drone interceptors, which are both due to come out of the R&D phase pof development at the end of this year. This includes a medium-range interceptor, which launched last year, and a new short-range variant revealed on 12 September at the outset of the DSEI exhibition.
Pinl explained that the interceptors are not explosives, but rather hit-to-kill drones on account of the titanium material used to cut through an adversarial UAS.
This new portable solution uses electric propulsion (the system does not need jet fuel). Operators use the interceptors to neutralise class 1 drones at 1km+, operating no longer than approximately five minutes.
Surveillance – within and around a complex
MARSS have also expanded its surveillance in and around the site. Integrated into the wider NiDAR network, RADiRguard – an intelligent all-in-one perimeter surveillance solution – provides 24/7 autonomous monitoring, detection, tracking and decision support in the event of a security incident.
Likewise, MARSS applies the same concept to its ‘smart streetlamps’, which besides the added benefit of public lighting, provides the same surveillance solution around a complex.
In March 2023, MARSS revealed that with a value of over $100m and encompassing the installation and integration of over 100 sensors and effectors, NiDAR will provide complete protection and situational awareness at a complex critical infrastructure site in the Middle East.
Additionally, the Middle East-based country will continue to adopt supplementary kit for its NiDAR network – MARSS will deliver their new C-UAS interceptors by the end of 2023.
