Dronetag has launched RIDER, a pocket-sized Distant ID receiver designed to detect and monitor drone exercise in response to rising airspace security challenges. The machine goals to handle gaps in drone detection capabilities, notably for public security companies {and professional} drone operators.
Weighing 64 grams (2.25 ounces), the battery-powered RIDER captures Distant ID alerts from any drone no matter producer, offering real-time place, altitude, pace, and pilot data. The info could be accessed by means of Dronetag’s cell app or built-in with present UTM and counter-UAS techniques.
Technical Capabilities and Limitations
RIDER gives what CEO and Founder Lukáš Brchl calls a “Stage 0” answer for situational consciousness, providing three connectivity choices: built-in LTE, Bluetooth, and USB-C. Its detection vary extends to roughly 3 miles with normal antennas, or as much as 6 miles with an non-obligatory high-performance antenna. Battery life ranges from 6 to 10 hours, which can require cautious mission planning for prolonged operations.
Whereas smartphones have been initially anticipated to deal with drone detection duties, their technical limitations created a possibility for devoted units like RIDER. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of such receivers nonetheless relies on drones correctly broadcasting Distant ID alerts – a regulatory requirement that isn’t but universally adopted.
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Goal Functions
The machine seems notably related for 2 key use circumstances:
- For public security companies, RIDER allows monitoring of drone exercise in delicate areas, although its passive detection capabilities needs to be seen as complementary to, slightly than substitute for, complete counter-drone techniques.
- Industrial drone operators can use RIDER to take care of consciousness of different plane of their neighborhood, probably lowering collision dangers throughout crucial operations. Nevertheless, the system’s reliance on Distant ID broadcasts means it can’t detect non-compliant drones.
Technical Specs
The machine operates throughout temperatures from -4°F to 140°F and options an IP54 score for restricted mud and water resistance. It helps a number of GNSS techniques together with GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou, whereas mobile connectivity is optimized for regional markets with particular LTE bands (2, 4, 12 for US; 3, 8, 20 for EU).
The RIDER consists of built-in mobile and Bluetooth antennas for knowledge transmission, together with an SMA connector for the two.4 GHz Distant ID antenna. It complies with ASTM F3411-22A and ASD-STAN EN 4709-002 requirements for Distant ID techniques, suggesting compatibility with present and near-future regulatory frameworks.
Market Place and Availability
Dronetag has priced the RIDER at $899/€799 throughout its pre-order interval, which runs till mid-March 2025. The corporate plans to distribute by means of approved resellers within the US and EU beginning mid-February. events can see the machine firsthand at XPONENTIAL 2025 in Düsseldorf from February 18-20, 2025, the place Dronetag will probably be showcasing their Distant ID receivers at Stand 1A44.
A stationary model, dubbed Dronetag Scout, can also be in growth for mounted installations requiring persistent monitoring capabilities. The Scout goals to offer comparable situational consciousness capabilities as RIDER however with enhanced options particularly designed for managing drone exercise in bigger, mounted installations.
Trade Context
The discharge of RIDER comes because the Drone Trade grapples with integration challenges in managed airspace. Latest incidents, together with unidentified drone sightings in New Jersey and a collision with a firefighting plane in Los Angeles, spotlight the rising want for dependable drone detection options.
Nevertheless, the effectiveness of Distant ID receivers like RIDER in the end relies on widespread compliance with broadcasting necessities – a transition nonetheless in progress throughout the drone trade. As such, these units symbolize one element of a broader strategy to airspace consciousness and security.
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