R2 Wireless has been awarded a firm-fixed-price contract with the Air National Guard for the purchase of its ODIN passive radio frequency sensing system. The contract expands the company’s work with U.S. government and defense customers and supports the use of passive RF technology for detecting and characterizing unmanned aerial systems without transmitting signals.
The ODIN passive RF drone detection platform is designed to provide persistent spectrum awareness while operating without emissions that could create an electronic signature or interfere with other systems.
ODIN Passive RF Drone Detection Selected by Air National Guard
Under the contract, the Air National Guard will purchase R2 Wireless’ ODIN passive RF sensing system.
Financial terms, system quantities, deployment locations and delivery schedules were not disclosed in the announcement.
According to R2 Wireless, the contract reflects demand for sensing technologies capable of detecting and characterizing UAS activity while remaining passive.
“This contract is meaningful for ODIN and for R2,” said Cordell Bennigson, U.S. CEO of R2 Wireless. “The Air National Guard recognizes the critical capabilities that ODIN provides – persistent, passive RF detection without emissions, no signature, no interference.”
Passive RF Architecture Operates Without Emitting Signals
ODIN uses passive radio-frequency sensing rather than transmitting signals into the surrounding environment.
R2 Wireless identifies three characteristics of the architecture:
- No RF emissions
- No active electronic signature
- No interference generated by the sensing system
The company said this approach is suited to environments where active sensing technologies could introduce operational constraints or additional risk.
“As drone activity continues to increase around military installations and critical infrastructure, the demand for sensing that doesn’t compromise operational security is only going to grow,” Bennigson said.
ODIN Provides Detection, Classification and Geolocation
R2 Wireless describes ODIN as a passive system providing three primary capabilities:
- Detection
- Classification
- Geolocation
The system is designed to provide RF spectrum awareness for defense, public safety and critical infrastructure customers.
By monitoring the radio-frequency environment passively, ODIN is intended to identify and characterize relevant RF activity without transmitting its own signals.
System Supports Counter-UAS Sensing
Passive RF sensing can form part of a broader counter-UAS architecture by providing information about radio-frequency activity associated with unmanned aircraft.
R2 Wireless positions ODIN as a sensing component rather than describing it as a standalone drone defeat system.
The platform’s passive architecture allows it to contribute detection and situational information while avoiding the emissions associated with active sensing technologies.
Potential operating environments identified by R2 Wireless include:
- Military installations
- Critical infrastructure
- Defense operations
- Public safety environments
Contract Expands R2 Wireless U.S. Defense Work
The Air National Guard award follows expansion of R2 Wireless’ U.S. operations and its work across military and critical infrastructure environments.
According to the company, it has also expanded its technology partnership ecosystem during the past year.
R2 Wireless operates globally with offices in Austin, Texas, and Tel Aviv, Israel.
The company specializes in passive RF spectrum awareness and counter-drone sensing technologies.
The Air National Guard contract adds another U.S. defense customer for the ODIN passive RF drone detection platform as R2 Wireless expands the use of passive spectrum awareness technology for identifying, classifying and geolocating unmanned aircraft activity without emitting signals.
Source: Press release from R2 Wireless
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