Honeywell Aerospace is presenting SAMURAI as a counter-drone system designed to combine information from radar, cameras, radio-frequency sensors and other equipment in one operator interface. The system uses UNITAS, Honeywell Aerospace’s battle-management software, to integrate sensors and effectors made by different manufacturers, according to Defense News.

The system is aimed at a central challenge in counter-drone operations: bringing multiple detection and response tools into a common view. Radar can detect objects at a distance, while radio-frequency sensors can detect signals associated with drones or their controllers. Remote-identification equipment can receive identifying information broadcast by compliant drones. Electro-optical and infrared cameras allow operators to examine objects more closely, and acoustic sensors can help detect aircraft by their sound.

Those tools provide different types of information and may be operated as separate systems. Retired Air Force Col. Tom Konicki, Honeywell Aerospace’s director of business, said operators of some counter-drone systems must monitor six, seven or eight screens for radar, cameras, radio-frequency sensors, jamming equipment and other capabilities. That arrangement can require one operator to track several information streams at the same time.

UNITAS is designed to consolidate those feeds so operators can view information from multiple sensors together. Konicki described the software as a “single pane of glass,” saying that several sensors could identify the same object and feed information about it into the software. The interface is intended to provide operators with a combined view without requiring them to manage each sensor through a separate display.

The broader counter-drone process involves detecting, tracking, identifying, classifying and ultimately defeating an aircraft. The response available through a system depends on the threat and on the equipment connected to it. Possible countermeasures include electronic warfare, directed-energy systems, conventional weapons and interceptor drones. Some systems use nets to capture drones, an approach that can reduce the risk of debris falling onto people or property.

SAMURAI’s software is designed to work with equipment from different manufacturers. That open-architecture approach allows customers to integrate equipment they already operate rather than replace it with products from a single supplier. Customers can select equipment suited to their missions and update individual components as detection technologies and countermeasures change.

Konicki said Honeywell Aerospace works with other companies to incorporate their technologies and seeks equipment mature enough for operational use. The approach is intended to avoid locking customers into one manufacturer’s products while allowing them to connect sensors and effectors that fit their requirements.

The system can be configured for different types of sites and missions. Honeywell Aerospace says it can support fixed-site protection, mobile deployments and maritime operations. For a building or installation, customers may position equipment around the site. A mobile configuration can provide temporary protection at an event, while sensors placed at distributed locations can expand coverage across a larger area.

The company’s planning process can map areas with adequate coverage, identify gaps and recommend adjustments to equipment placement. It can also examine where an adversary might launch a drone and how that approach could affect a site’s defenses. The resulting analysis is intended to help customers tailor sensor locations and other system components to the threats facing a particular site.

At the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting, Honeywell Aerospace displayed a mockup of a mobile SAMURAI configuration mounted on the back of a Ford F-150. Konicki called the vehicle the “Green Beast.”

SAMURAI stands for Stationary and Mobile UAS Reveal and Intercept. UNITAS is not an acronym; Konicki said its name was inspired by football player Johnny Unitas. Honeywell Aerospace has demonstrated the software to U.S. government and military representatives, as well as local law enforcement and state and city representatives.