The MARSS NiDAR counter-UAS command-and-control (C2) module. (MARSS)
MARSS, headquartered in Monaco, and US defence firm BlueHalo have signed a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) to strengthen “collaboration and knowledge sharing to advance C-UAS [counter-unmanned aircraft system] and airspace command-and-control (C2) technologies”, the companies announced in a joint statement on 18 February. This includes the integration of BlueHalo's Titan C-UAS radio frequency (RF) detection technologies into MARSS' NiDAR C2 platform, enhancing “NiDAR's automated threat detection, tracking, and classification with a holistic view of the operational environment”, according to the statement.
The two companies have been collaborating for several years. While MARSS initially focused on maritime applications, it has evolved to include aerial threats and air-domain awareness, Josh Harman, senior vice-president for business development for MARSS, told Janes on 25 February. In this space, it partnered with Citadel Defense on C-UAS. Citadel Defense was subsequently acquired by BlueHalo in 2021, according to a BlueHalo statement at the time.
This partnership was “due to the novel way that Blue Halo was deploying their electronic warfare (EW) systems, which were not library based, but they were more … machine learning, AI [artificial intelligence], human-in-the-loop based to quickly update against new drones, new protocols, [and] new classifiers that came out into the commercial market”, Harman said.
“The biggest issue with what we deal with, especially with drones, is staying ahead of the next tech advancement and evolution and not always chasing it,” he added. “The only way to do that as a C2 integrator is to continually test new stuff, bring it in the field, [and] test it again to what we think is coming out,” Harman said, adding that BlueHalo is a good partner for that.
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