Xponential Sneak Preview with Brian Hetsko

With the proliferation of commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), the accessibility in the market has made them fiscally accessible to individuals at almost any price point. There are dozens of uses for UAVs that are in alignment with the UAV’s intended use, such as video, sensing and even deliveries. However, those same uses can be used for negative purposes.  

At Xponential 2018, Textron Systems Chief Engineer Brian Hetsko will discuss counter-UAV technology, relating it to the counter-Improvised Explosive Device (IED) threat from the early and mid-2000s.

Brian explained, “The counter-UAV issue is similar to the counter-IED problem because when an event occurred, a lot of money and time was invested into addressing that one problem; however, by the time it was addressed, technology had advanced onto something else. We are learning from those lessons to address the counter-UAV situation more effectively now, especially since it applies both militarily and commercially.”

Brian elaborated, “Each malintent can be applied both commercially and militarily. For example, if someone doesn’t want themselves filmed outside their window, it is the same reason why a soldier doesn’t want a UAV filming them while they are organizing maneuvers or driving a convoy. Similarly, with deliveries from UAVs, for civilians, it may be smuggling packages into a prison or across a border, whereas for the military, it could be as severe as delivering a weapon with kinetic effects.”

Currently in the counter-UAV market, various existing solutions are being used together to address the issue. “Rather than using a collection of four or five existing technology areas to create a monolithic solution, an architecture must be created from the ground-up to make it adaptable to a variety of missions,” Brian added. He explained that Textron Systems is developing a software architecture into which counter-UAV applications can be customized to suit individual missions.

Learn more about counter-UAV technology from Brian at Xponential on Tuesday, May 1, from 2:00- 2:30 p.m. in room 205. Make sure to visit Textron Systems at booth 2414.