San Francisco, California (US) – American smart airspace security company Dedrone recently launched its first portable drone detection unit.

Called DedroneRapidResponse, the mobile unit can detect, identify, locate and analyse nearly 300 drone types.

In a statement to announce the launch of the new system, the company said its new solution offers Dedrone’s AI-powered technology in a mobile platform attached to a tower, anywhere between nine and fifteen metres high, that can be easily towed and manoeuvred on a trailer using an SUV or truck.

Now available for purchase worldwide, DedroneRapidResponse is said to provide critical capability to ensure public safety at large events including sports, parades, concerts, large gatherings, crime scenes, police activity and more.

In England recently, a premier league match pitting Brentford FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers was stopped for nearly twenty minutes after a drone was spotted hovering over the Brentford Community Stadium where the match was taking place.

It is the kind of scenario for which the DroneRapidResponse was developed.

Using cloud-enabled software, DedroneRapidResponse pinpoints the drone, providing insights into its load and the pilot’s location as soon as a drone is turned on, giving security teams a significant head-start on a pilot about to fly into a “no fly zone.”

The tower is deployable in under 30 minutes and offers a range of five-km detection through a multi-layered solution with two cameras to track multiple drones simultaneously. Additionally, Dedrone can easily network multiple trailers to deliver optimal drone security for large public safety events.

“Most police departments and city administrations know they have a significant public safety risk from malicious drones, having seen the issue at either an airport, stadium or public event in their jurisdiction,” said Aaditya Devarakonda, CEO of Dedrone.

“We created DedroneRapidResponse to address the many instances where drone detection needs to be truly multi-layered yet agile and adaptive, such as special events or other large outdoor gatherings. Unlike anything else on the market today, DedroneRapidResponse provides a multi-layered mobile security solution that makes it easy to quickly address a city, agency or company’s airspace security needs, ensuring protection of people, property and information from drone threats.”

In the United States, the new technology was first tested by the St. Petersburg police department in Florida, with the law enforcement department deploying DedroneRapidResponse for the 2022 Firestone Grand Prix, an IndyCar motor race.

“The Firestone Grand Prix is an international event, equivalent to the Super Bowl or World Series for the St. Petersburg community,” says Chief Anthony Holloway, St Petersburg Police Department. “It requires a strong police presence to ensure the safety of our citizens and all participants in the race.

“Dedrone was the ideal partner to help us provide an ‘eye in the sky’ and protect against illegal drones in the no-fly zone. We are proud to be the first police department in the US to deploy such sophisticated technology as part of our larger commitment to ensuring that our entire community remains safe and secure.”

Rob Campbell, vice president, public sector at Dedrone added; “DedroneRapidResponse was developed through a collaborative design process that incorporated key requirements from the St. Petersburg PD at every step of the way. The partnership with Chief Holloway’s team and the solution design will ultimately benefit Law Enforcement and Emergency Management organizations across the country.”

Founded in San Francisco in 2014, Dedrone develops counter-drone systems that are trusted by hundreds of commercial, government, and military customers globally to protect against unauthorised drones. With flexibility to host on premise or in the cloud via Dedrone’s Airspace Security-as-a-Service (ASaaS), Dedrone customers can detect, identify, locate, analyse and mitigate unauthorised drone threats.

The company has operations in Washington, D.C, Ohio, London, Germany, as well as 30 other countries (two of which are in Africa), where it delivers detection, identification, tracking, and mitigation technology for a significant variety of drones from over 65 manufacturers; and even homemade drones without decoding telemetry data.

Dedrone claims its solution is used by the governments of four G-7 nations, nine US federal agencies, and internationally by more than 65 critical infrastructure sites, 20 airports, 50 correctional facilities, and ten Fortune 500 companies.