Avitas Systems, a GE venture, has announced that it was awarded a significant and precedent-setting permission from the US Federal Aviation Administration to operate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS, or drones) over 55 pounds at low altitudes beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) in Loving County, Texas for industrial inspection using a DeTect HARRIER Ground-based Sense-and-Avoid radar system. Avitas Systems used AiRXOS’ waiver and exemption service for system design, safety mitigation, testing, analysis, and validation support in obtaining the BVLOS permission.  Avitas Systems was also supported by Shell Air Transport – Americas and DeTect. (link to full story http://www.lawfuel.com/blog/avitas-systems-a-ge-venture-wins-precedent-setting-faa-exemption%EF%BB%BF/)

  DeTect’s Panama City, Florida Headquarters was hit by Hurricane Michael on Wednesday of this week.   DeTect suffered damage to its Wilson building office areas. Our manufacturing area has only minor damage as do our Administrative offices on 23rd street, and should be back in operation as soon as power and internet are restored to the region. We expect that our main offices operations will be interrupted and sporadic for the next 7-10 days. Our branch locations in London and California and evacuated staff are stepping up to maintain operations as much as possible, however we are having to adjust project schedules accordingly until we are back at full capacity.  The DeTect main phone line was affected by the storm and may be down for 1 – 2 weeks. Please call us on this temporary number 850-890-8847 and we will get back to you as soon as possible.  In the interim, please address any service requests to contact@detect-inc.com who will coordinate a response by the appropriate DeTect staff. Thank you for your understanding and patience.

  Panama City, Florida, USA – September 12, 2018: DeTect, Inc.  (www.detect-inc.com) today announced that it has received an order to supply the US Air Force Europe (USAFE) with a MERLIN Aircraft Birdstrike Avoidance Radar system for the Royal Air Force (RAF) Lakenheath base in England. The MERLIN system, originally developed for the USAF, will provide 24-7 detection, monitoring and birdstrike risk alerting in support of the USAF 48th Fighter Wing. Edward Zakrajsek Manager of DeTect Global Ltd. In London said “We are honored to be supporting the USAF at RAF Lakenheath. The MERLIN radar will provide continuous detection, tracking and warning of hazardous bird activity in and around the airfield”.  DeTect’s MERLIN Aircraft Birdstrike Avoidance Radar system is the very advanced and widely-used technology available for bird-aircraft strike hazard (BASH) management and for real-time detection, tracking and alerting of hazardous bird activity at commercial airports, military airfields, and military training and bombing ranges. Since 2003, MERLIN systems have been providing real-time birdstrike alerts to air traffic controllers, flight safety managers and pilots at US Air Force and Navy airfields and ranges and at commercial airports in Europe. NASA also used two MERLIN systems to support 22 space shuttle launches from 2006 through 2012.  Download Full Article Here

  The replacement of conventional lighting with energy- saving light emitting diodes (LED) is a worldwide trend, yet its consequences for animals and ecosystems are poorly understood. Strictly nocturnal animals such as bats are particularly sensitive to artificial light at night (ALAN). Past studies have shown that bats, in general, respond to ALAN according to the emitted light color and that migratory bats, in particular, exhibit phototaxis in response to green light. As red and white light is frequently used in outdoor lighting, we asked how migratory bats respond to these wavelength spectra. At a major migration corridor, we recorded the presence of migrating bats based on ultrasonic recorders during 10- min light- on/light- off intervals to red or warm- white LED, interspersed with dark controls. When the red LED was switched on, we observed an increase in flight activity for Pipistrellus pygmaeus and a trend for a higher activity for Pipistrellus nathusii. As the higher flight activity of bats was not associated with increased feeding, we rule out the possibility that bats foraged at the red LED light. Instead, bats may have flown toward the red LED light source. When exposed to warm- white LED, general flight activity at the light source did not increase, yet we observed an increased foraging activity directly at the light source compared to the dark control. Our findings highlight a response of migratory bats toward LED light that was dependent on light color. The most parsimonious explanation for the response to red LED is phototaxis and for the response to warm- white LED foraging. Our findings call for caution in the application of red aviation lighting, particularly at wind turbines, as this light color might attract bats, leading eventually to an increased collision risk of migratory bats at wind turbines.  Download Full Art

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Panama City, Florida – USA July 16, 2018 DeTect, Inc. (www.detect-inc.com) announced today that the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released its Performance Assessment Report on the company’s HARRIER ADLS that states that the system met “the performance requirements identified in Chapter 14 of AC 70/7460-1L”. The report is published on the FAA Website. DeTect developed its ADLS in 2008 in response to the Dark Sky Initiative to reduce light pollution for projects with aviation obstruction lighting such as wind farms, high voltage transmission lines and communication towers. DeTect’s ADLS delivers reliable, continuous 360 degree radar surveillance of the airspace around sites automatically activating obstruction lighting only when aircraft are detected at a defined outer perimeter. The HARRIER ADLS is compatible with all turbines, communication networks and lighting systems. “DeTect’s HARRIER ADLS is the very cost-effective system on the market and includes multiple internal fail-safes, long-range detection and tracking, and specialized algorithms to minimize light pollution while ensuring safe aviation operations” said Jesse Lewis, General Manager of DeTect Americas. About DeTect. DeTect is a fully integrated radar company with US radar research, engineering and manufacturing facilities in Florida, and offices in California, Washington DC, and England. The company is a leader in applied remote sensing technologies for small radar cross section targets such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), drones and birds. Other DeTect products include HARRIER Security and Surveillance Radars, the DroneWatcher™ drone detection and defense system, and MERLIN™ Aircraft Birdstrike Avoidance Radars and avian radars for

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  Panama City, Florida – USA April 17, 2018:  DeTect, Inc. (www.detect-inc.com) announced today that it has completed commissioning of a HARRIER Ground Based Sense-and-Avoid (GBSAA) radar at the Rozas Aerodrome in Lugo, Spain. The system, supplied to Babcock Mission Critical Services España, will provide beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) for drone and Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) operations at project sites throughout Spain and Europe for wildfire assessment and firefighting support. DeTect’s HARRIER GBSAA incorporates the latest in solid-state, Doppler radar technology and real-time web-based situational awareness displays to accommodate a diversity of user applications. “By incorporating multiple sensors, including radar, TAS and ADSB receivers into the HARRIER system, DeTect is able to provide a cost effective solution for BVLOS operations to UAS operators” said Edward Zakrajsek, General Manager of DeTect Global, Ltd., London. The HARRIER GBSAA supports a wide range of UAS operations including wildfire assessment, firefighting, oil and gas site inspections, aerial survey, and law enforcement extending operational ranges to 20 miles (32 kilometers). About DeTect. DeTect is a fully integrated radar company with US radar engineering and manufacturing facilities in Florida, and offices in California, Washington DC, Canada and England. The company is a leader in applied radar remote sensing technologies and systems for small radar cross section targets such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), drones and birds. Other DeTect products include DroneWatcher™ drone detection and defense systems, and MERLIN™ aircraft birdstrike avoidance radars and avian radars. Since 2003, DeTect has manufactured and commissioned over 280 advanced systems in the US, Canada, t

  While other counter unmanned aerial vehicle measures are being developed at the Maneuver Fires Integrated Experiment (MFIX), the creators of the Harrier are here just to show what they have been doing for years.  Developers of Harrier say they originally built the systems to protect Air Force bases from birds. The seemingly innocuous creatures created problems when they crossed paths with an aircraft. Without spending a lot of money, the Harrier was created — a low-cost system that could detect and track small birds. With the growing threat of unmanned aerial systems, the developers of the Harrier took their system and adapted it to meet a new mission.  Source & Full Article – Army

  BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP) is fully equipped with dual bird-drone detection radar thanks to DeTect, a Panama City-based technology firm.  Earlier this year, they installed the DroneWatcher, which does just that. This month, they installed the aircraft bird avoidance radar, which helps track both birds and drones.  “We’re the only airport in the country that has both the DroneWatcher as well as the Merlin Radar integrated into one system,” Airport Executive Director Parker McClellan said.  “The radar is a type of sensor that has been used for many years,” DeTect Operation Manager Craig Rainey explained. “The software that we use is what makes it special and allows to look for smaller targets such as birds or drones. It basically gives us a three-tier system and protection for the airport.”  While ECP is the first airport in the country to use radar along with drone and bird watching software, the military has had access to this technology for several years. It promises to protect pilots and passengers through aerial scans and sending real-time alerts, if necessary.  “The radar provides real-time displays as far as the activity around the airport,” Rainey said. “It gives you both horizontal and vertical. It gives you the distance away from the runways as far as the altitudes of any birds that are over the runway.”  If there’s any sort of risk, Rainey said the radar will provide a risk assessment ranging

  DeTect will be installing a dual-function DroneWatcher drone detection and defense system and MERLIN Aircraft Birdstrike A voidance Radar at the Panama City Florida airport (ECP) (see news story).

  The USAF today awarded DeTect a five year, $4.5 million contract to operate, develop and manage the Air Force’s US national birdstrike risk advisory and alerting system – Avian Hazard Advisory System (AHAS) and the USAF Bird Avoidance Model (BAM). The contract also includes maintenance and acquisition of Bird Detection Radar (BDR) systems.

  With the release today of the movie ‘Sully’ recounting the 2009 ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ bird-aircraft strike that caused the crash of US Airways flight 1549, bird related risk to commercial aircraft is back in the news. Eight years later no US airport uses avian radar in the air traffic control tower to issue birdstrike warning though airports in Europe, Asia and Africa have installed and use the technology. DeTect’s MERLIN system remains the only birdstrike radar being used operationally by air traffic control to issue real-time birdstrike risk advisories with systems operating at commercial airports and military airfields worldwide (read full news release).

  The Brussels Airport (BRU) today started a two week test of DeTect’s MERLIN system to monitor and map the behavior of birds 24 hours a day and to evaluate use of the technology for an operational installation for bird-aircraft strike alerting. The will provide preliminary insight into the behavior of birds on the airport. The airport operator is taking several preventive minimize birdstrike risk that includes the MERLIN study. (full article on-line)