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Reading time: 5 minutes
What You Will Learn
- How Robotican’s Goshawk drone performs precise counter-UAS (C-UAS) missions.
- How Elsight’s Halo connectivity ensures reliable command and control (C2) for BVLOS operations.
- The role of AI-based multi-link bonding in securing uninterrupted communication during military and defense missions.
Robotican, a leading autonomous robotics and drone innovator, and ASX-listed Elsight Ltd (ASX: ELS), the recognized industry leader in uncrewed system connectivity solutions, have announced their partnership for optimized connectivity in BVLOS counter UAS military and defense missions.
Military and defense organizations around the globe have added counter UAS systems to their arsenals to identify and disrupt adversarial drones. This is often the case when the overall goal is to intercept without causing any inadvertent damage, while ensuring secure apprehension of the hostile drone.
A leading example is Robotican’s Goshawk, a fully autonomous drone, which flawlessly executes interception missions by seamlessly snaring adversary drones’ mid-flight (Surgical Discreet C-UAS mitigation). Its autonomous repertoire is comprised of in-flight target detection, precise tracking, secure locking, target pursuit, and flawless capture of a hostile system.
Optimizing the Goshawk’s flight performance will be Elsight’s Halo, a platform for robust, secured connectivity using AI-based, multi-link bonded communications. Elsight’s Halo creates a bonded tunnel of the available links from LTE, 5G, SatCom and RF channels for continuous uptime and connection between the drone (UAV or UAS) and the ground control station.
“Even in regions with minimal signal coverage, Elsight’s Halo can provide a quick and consistent connection between the Goshawk aircraft and its control station,” said Robotican’s CEO Hagai Balashi. “Elsight’s Halo system delivers the most solid LTE link that Robotican had ever experienced, in addition to high-quality data streaming. In testing, the Halo performed seamless handover of the aircraft control from one pilot to another, thereby reducing the risk of C2 failure significantly.”
“Elsight is proud to partner with Robotican in its dedication to maintaining safe skies with its Goshawk system, an exceptional example of hostile drone interception capabilities,” said Yoav Amitai, Elsight’s CEO. “In our work together, we have significantly accelerated the ‘detect, react, and eliminate’ process by enhanced situational awareness.”
Key Takeaways
- Seamless Counter-UAS Operations – Robotican’s Goshawk autonomously detects, tracks, and intercepts hostile drones mid-flight with precision.
- Uninterrupted BVLOS Connectivity – Elsight’s Halo ensures continuous, secure command and control (C2) through AI-based multi-link bonding across LTE, 5G, SatCom, and RF channels.
- Enhanced Mission Success & Safety – Reliable, high-quality data streaming and seamless handover between pilots significantly reduce C2 failure risks in critical defense scenarios.
FAQs
1. What is Robotican’s Goshawk, and what counter-UAS capabilities does it provide?
Goshawk is a fully autonomous counter-UAS interceptor designed to detect, track, pursue, and physically capture hostile drones in flight. Using a net-based interception approach, it neutralizes threats with minimal collateral damage while preserving the target drone for intelligence exploitation and forensic analysis.
2. What is Elsight’s Halo, and how does its multilink bonding ensure uninterrupted BVLOS command-and-control?
Halo is a resilient BVLOS communications platform that simultaneously aggregates multiple communication technologies, including LTE, 5G, and satellite links, into a single secure connection. Its multilink bonding technology continuously monitors link quality and automatically reroutes traffic across best available networks, ensuring uninterrupted command and control, telemetry, and video transmission even when individual links fail or degrade.
3. How is communications security handled, and how resilient is it to jamming or contested environments?
Halo combines secure, encrypted communications with a multilink architecture that overcomes dependence on any single network. If a link is disrupted, congested, or jammed, traffic is automatically rerouted to other available connections. This redundancy improves operational resilience and helps maintain mission-critical connectivity in contested, electronically challenging environments.
4. What certifications, regulatory approvals, or operational testing are required for BVLOS C-UAS missions, and does this solution meet them?
For BVLOS C-UAS missions, the required approvals typically vary by country and operator type. They often include a safety case or CONOPS, operator authorization or waiver, airspace approval, aircraft airworthiness or platform validation, and testing of communications reliability and cybersecurity. The Robotican Goshawk and Elsight Halo operational testing has confirmed the system’s ability to perform fully autonomous interceptions while maintaining ultra-low latency and live situational awareness.
5. Why is reliable BVLOS connectivity critical for counter-UAS missions?
Counter-drone operations often require rapid detection, tracking, interception, and engagement over extended distances and in complex environments. Continuous, low-latency connectivity ensures operators maintain control of the interceptor, receive real-time situational awareness, and complete the detect, react, and eliminate cycle without communication disruptions.
