Bird Aerosystems, the Israeli airborne surveillance and missile protection systems developer, is attending the Singapore Airshow for the first time as it eyes new business in the Asia-Pacific region.
“We have identified the Asia-Pacific region as one the fastest growing markets for our solutions, and this was a strong [driver] to increase our investments in this region,” Ronen Factor, co-CEO and founder of Bird Aerosystems, told AIN. “We are currently pursuing multiple campaigns in various countries in the region, as well as [participating] for the first time at the Singapore Airshow.”
Bird saw another successful year in 2019 that included major growth in both its Airborne Surveillance, Information, and Observation (ASIO) and Airborne Missile Protection Systems (AMPS) businesses.
“During 2019 we have initiated a major ASIO Maritime Surveillance program intended to provide a full task-force solution against illegal maritime activities,” Factor said. The program includes Bird's intelligence analysis system, Ocean Surveillance Control and Reconnaissance (OSCAR), that provides early detection of suspicious vessels, enabling its ASIO airborne and naval forces to perform effective patrol missions to identify and intercept illegal activities.
“On the AMPS business line, we have finished the development and certification of the AEROSHIELD(M) which is a compact and lightweight version of the AEROSHIELD Pod. AEROSHIELD(M) is tailored to support the installation of Bird's AMPS on medium size VIP jets such as the Falcon and Gulfstream.”
The company's plans for 2020 are to leverage the growing requirement for force protection and border surveillance, as well as to continue expanding its international customer base with a strong emphasis on Asia-Pacific markets.
During the Singapore Airshow, Bird will highlight two of its latest solutions, the Self Protection Radar Electro-Optic System (Spreos) DIRCM (Directional Infrared Counter Measures system), which combines a radar-based confirmation sensor and an active laser jammer to ensure optimal protection against different MANPADS threat types, and the OSCAR system, which is a fully autonomous and advanced Maritime Domain Awareness system delivering real-time intelligence and threat assessments for the vessels within a country’s areas of interest.
Bird said it continuously invests in the development of new solutions that are able to provide strong added value to its customers as the market develops in the coming years. “[W]e will see a major breakthrough in the possibility of installing hard-kill solutions on aircraft which will provide the next level of protection against any incoming threat,” he said.
“As part of this development vector, Bird is investing in providing a multi-dimensional sensor that will enable [provision of] threat detection, confirmation and accurate cuing of the incoming missile, that will then be countered by the hard-kill solution.”