Strange drone sightings over communities and sensitive government facilities consistently make headlines, prompting those affected to ask a series of questions: Are they even drones? If so, who is flying the drones? Why are they flying over these areas? What’s being done to combat this problem? 

Recently, Da-Jiang Innovations (DJI) announced the elimination of its geofence function, increasing the urgency from members of the government and critical infrastructure facilities to request for solutions to address both non-compliant and hostile UAS incursions. Parsons Corporation, a leading disruptive technology provider in national security and global infrastructure markets, focuses on addressing issues presented by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). We recognize that drones of all uses are here to stay, and to combat the challenges they bring, it is critical to have a counter-unmanned aircraft system (CUAS) that meets today’s threats and evolves for tomorrow’s threats.

Rigorous Development for Effective CUAS Deployment

Before deploying a CUAS solution in the field, Parsons conducts an extensive development process to determine the best combination of available and new, innovative technologies to meet client requirements. We use a modeling and simulation tool, Parsons Digital Threat, Testing, and Training Environment (DT3E), which employs digital twins of systems and environments to model our solutions against real-world threats and scenarios. This process allows us to test architectures and validate solutions for customer specific scenarios in advance of deployment. Next, we conduct field testing at the Parsons’ CUAS Center of Excellence, located in Summit Point, West Virginia.

The Center of Excellence is a hub of innovation where experts, technology, infrastructure, and strategic partners converge to integrate and test solutions for Group 1, 2, and 3 UAS threats, allowing for engineers to rapidly iterate on solutions to unique UAS challenges. 

The facility's unique location enables Parsons to conduct demonstrations for customers and mission partners near Washington, D.C. and provides for the ability to fly drones 24/7. The open airspace and large testing area has attracted vendors from across the industry to integrate and test their sensors, radars, and effectors with our tailored CUAS solution. In addition, the steady flow of government customers who come through Summit Point has provided vendors an opportunity to have high visibility with their latest CUAS solutions.

DroneArmor™: A Tailored CUAS Solution

The different CUAS solutions on the market for active and passive detection, identification, tracking, and mitigation of UASs allow Parsons to mix and match different components to tailor a solution for each customer’s requirements. DroneArmor™, the Parsons CUAS solution used around the world, is a Modular Open System Approach (MOSA) system and is designed around the philosophy that no “one size fits all.” CUAS solutions vary significantly in cost and utility for different missions, geographies, and threat environments. The adaptable, interoperable, scalable, and cost-effective DroneArmor™ solution provides customized CUAS capabilities to maximize the efficacy of mission success.

DroneArmor™ offers users a core Command and Control (C2) component that includes an intuitive user interface (UI) designed with Human Factors engineering in mind, as well as substantial AI/ML driven autonomous functionality, all to reduce cognitive load and display the relevant data for quick decision-making. Our collaboration with system vendors across the industry includes projects to pre-integrate sensors, radars, and effectors which allows us to develop the optimal mix for any situation.

Continued Investment and Expansions

We continually invest in and expand our Center of Excellence to maintain our expertise at the forefront of the rapidly evolving CUAS technology. Over the past two years, we constructed a second test range, a production facility with computer numerical control (CNC) fabrication capabilities, and a command center integrated with radars, sensors, and systems in the facility. Testing against UAS sometimes means our teams may need to fabricate our own UAS to test against the latest threats. 

The Command Center accesses data from sensor testing on the range plus digital twin simulated sensors from our DT3E. The simulated digital environment enables us to model actual installations for planning and Concept of Operations/Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (CONOPS/TTP) development, operator training, and system familiarization in the context of actual deployed environments. Additionally, our software development and integration capabilities enable us to continually enhance our sensor integration and advanced multi-modal AI/ML-based object detection, classification, and tracking features. 

The new integration and test range supports a wide array of installation and perimeter security missions. We test various sensors, such as ground vibration sensors, tethered drones for aerial surveillance, and specialized cameras for intruder detection. Our team routinely develops and integrates these UAS and UGS sensors for search and rescue, surveillance, perimeter security, and access control into our CUAS technology to create a comprehensive solution. 

Parsons is constantly seeking new CUAS sensors and effectors to integrate into the architecture. We welcome the opportunity to partner with vendors as we work towards continued advancements in CUAS. Partner vendors join us in integration and testing, with the opportunity to test extensively against a variety of threats. They also have ample opportunities for demonstration to various customers who regularly visit the facility.

Committed to Security

Parsons is committed to protecting our client’s personnel, facilities, and critical infrastructure across all domains. Our DroneArmor™ solution and CUAS Center of Excellence ensure we stay ahead of UAS threats and provide tailored, customized solutions that neutralize threats and protect lives and assets while allowing for compliant UAS operations to flourish.