“Command and control” is a buzz term frequently heard at military conferences. For troops in the field, having a centralized piece of equipment that can perform a multitude of tasks is crucial. Enter BlueHalo’s latest innovation, VigilantHalo.
The first thing one would notice about VigilantHalo is its impressive appearance. However, beyond its sleek design lies advanced technology ready to tackle a host of serious jobs.
The new piece of kit offers a real-time command and control option for operators in the field. It delivers air traffic control, beyond visual line-of-sight drone operations, and counter-drone detection for military, federal, state and local applications.
BlueHalo’s COO, Trip Ferguson, emphasized the company’s concentrated effort to put as much control as possible into the hands of those closest to the action.
“VigilantHalo is a vision of how we create a common operating picture for our warfighters to control airspace in unique ways,” Ferguson said. “We have very sophisticated technology that allows that to come into one interface.”
Having new ways to control a situation is great for those in command, but if a piece of equipment is too difficult to use or too bulky to move, it can be a detriment.
Stephen Lloyd, BlueHalo’s senior director, addressed the practicality of deploying the equipment.
“You might not have room for a truck on the back of an airplane or helicopter, but you can certainly get it out there in a pelican case or a laptop,” Lloyd explained. “This also gives us the capability to make everything out there a sensor. It is scalable and can be networked together to communicate with other domains that already have a multitude of sensors.”
With lessons being learned every day in Ukraine, the ability to protect troops from drone attacks requires multiple solutions. Ferguson highlighted the importance of the product in this context.
“We do not have the redundancy we need as a nation, either here or before deployment, to operate in clear airspace in complex situations. With the evolving unmanned system threat today, that capability is more important than ever,” he said. “We hope to demonstrate that capability and make it available to more people.”
As each branch of the military continues to reorganize and restructure in response to growing threats from China, Lloyd noted that VigilantHalo is built for deployments to austere and remote locations.
“It has to be very durable and reliable. It has to work every time, and you have to be able to pick it up and move it if the bad guys find out where you are. It has incredible versatility,” Lloyd stated.
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