Leonardo Gets Canadian Armed Forces with Counter-Drone Technology

Leonardo has been awarded a contract by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) to provide its Falcon Shield C-UAS system for operation by the Canadian Armed Forces. The company said it will
provide a number of systems and a 10-year sustainment package that includes options for additional
equipment and the spiral development of new capabilities.

First systems will be delivered later this year with the Canadian Armed Forces that will immediately
deploy Falcon Shield to forward operating bases to protect deployed personnel.

The acquisition by Canada follows the system’s success in-service with the UK armed forces, where it has ensured the protection of critical assets and national security.

Falcon Shield is the UK’s operationally-proven solution to the growing threat from group 1 to 3 (smaller,
slower and lower flying) UAS, which are usually undetectable by conventional air surveillance equipment. Using a mix of advanced sensors from Leonardo and industry partners, the system rapidly
detects, tracks and prioritises threats and gives operators the means to neutralise them effectively.

Produced at Basildon and Southampton Suites, Falcon Shield is in service with the UK’s Armed Forces,s
trusted by close allies on operations and is readily available for export customers worldwide. Leonardo
continues to update Falcon Shield to ensure it remains cutting-edge in a rapidly evolving security
landscape.

For its UK Royal Air Force (RAF) customer, Leonardo has delivered seven compete baseline counter-
drone systems (called ORCUS in RAF service) for the service’s “Synergia” research and development programme.

Falcon Shield is the UK’s operationally-proven solution to the growing threat from group 1 to 3 (smaller,
slower and lower flying) UAS, which are usually undetectable by conventional air surveillance
equipment. Using a mix of advanced sensors from Leonardo and industry partners, the system rapidly
detects, tracks and prioritises threats and gives operators the means to neutralise them effectively.

Produced at Basildon and Southampton Suites, Falcon Shield is in service with the UK’s Armed Forces,s
trusted by close allies on operations and is readily available for export customers worldwide. Leonardo
continues to update Falcon Shield to ensure it remains cutting-edge in a rapidly evolving security
landscape.

For its UK Royal Air Force (RAF) customer, Leonardo has delivered seven compete baseline counter-
drone systems (called ORCUS in RAF service) for the service’s ‘Synergia’ research and development programme. The RAF is aso employing these systems as a national standby capability in support of the
Emergency Services.

In this role, the RAF has operated Leonardo counter-UAS technology during a number of high-profile
events including the 2021 G7 summit in Cornwall and Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth games. During
Christmas 2018, Falcon Shield has been deployed at both London Gatwick and Heathrow airports
following suspected drone sightings, allowing air operations to resume.

Leonardo has also been working with the United States Armed Forces as part of the ongoing collaboration between the UK and US on counter-drone research and development. Under this partnership, the company has integrated the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)’s NINJA technology into the RAF ORCUS system and demonstrated its ability to detect dozens of small drone platforms in the airspace around airbases and then mitigate them.

Leonardo wll be operating Falcon Shield at Canada’s Counter Uncrewed Aerial Systems Sandbox 2024
exercise, being held in Suffield, Alberta this June, where it will counter drones flown by the Canadian
Armed Forces’ “red team” operators, the company said in a Feb 28 statement. Its counter-drone
technology (ACUS-Enhanced System) is also on contract with the Italian Armed Forces and its modular,
scalable systems are readily exportable worldwide. –adj/shp/mgm (pics: Leornado)