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Soldiers will now be able to use virtual reality in their training to counter enemy drones after DroneShield agreed a deal with a fellow NSW firm.
The partnership with xReality Group (XRG) will also include ‘XR’ technologies, such as augmented and mixed reality, which merge physical and computer-generated images.
DroneShield is best known for its products, including handheld-style guns, that detect and jam enemy devices.
DroneShield CEO Oleg Vornik said, “As the counter-drone industry continues to rapidly grow and develop — evidenced by significant use of small drones by both sides in the Ukraine war — there is an emergent need for counter-drone tactics and training packages for the system operators.
“As the global leader in the C-UAS sector, DroneShield is well placed to provide the training.
“We are excited to partner with XRG, who have deep experience in defence and law enforcement eXtended Reality training, and work in partnership with our customers to tailor design packages to meet their operational requirements.”
XRG CEO Wayne Jones said battlefields are evolving quickly, making it difficult for “front-line defenders” to be prepared for all situations.
“Operator’s solutions are enabling defence and law enforcement to rapidly train for these new situations in realistic, virtual environments,” said Jones.
“We are pleased to be able to add cutting-edge, XR-based Counter Drone training programs to Operator’s product offering, in partnership with the C-UAS market leader, DroneShield.”
It comes shortly after DroneShield confirmed it had sold equity in its business to a US rival with complementary tech.
The deal with Epirus will aid both companies as DroneShield focuses more on ‘soft defeat’ solutions, such as jamming, while Epirus uses ‘hard defeat’ technology to physically hurt the opposition device.
DroneShield said the deal will also allow it to scale up its engineering and operations and fund general working capital.
“We welcome Epirus to our investor register,” said Vornik. “There are significant complementary areas between our companies, including combining DroneShield’s drone detection and soft defeat systems with Epirus’ hard defeat solutions.”
Epirus CFO Ken Bedingfield noted the importance of the deal amid the emergence of drone technology.
“We are excited to undertake this investment, as we have been watching the rise of militarised drone usage in battlefield for some time,” he said.
“Strengthening our partner ecosystem accelerates opportunities to field innovative solutions to areas with the most pressing needs.”
The agreement means Epirus has acquired a 4.1 per cent shareholding interest in DroneShield.
