Service members and representatives from technology industries, academia and laboratories converge for SOFWERX’s ThunderDrone Rapid Prototyping Event II in Tampa, Fla., Jan. 31, 2018. The event enabled collaboration in combating threats from enemy unmanned aircraft systems such as quadcopters and drones. SOFWERX is an open collaboration facility that has successfully brought hundreds of non-traditional partners together to work on some of U.S. Special Operations Command’s most challenging problems. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Barry Loo)
James Scurry, from James Scurry Solutions, demonstrates laser technology designed to counter unmanned aircraft systems for John Harwig, an Army Rapid Capabilities Office operations research analyst during SOFWERX’s ThunderDrone Rapid Prototyping Event II in Tampa, Fla., Jan. 30, 2018. The event enabled collaboration in combating threats from enemy unmanned aircraft systems such as quadcopters and drones. SOFWERX is an open collaboration facility that has successfully brought hundreds of non-traditional partners together to work on some of U.S. Special Operations Command’s most challenging problems. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Barry Loo)
Army Gen. Raymond A. Thomas III, commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, visits SOFWERX’s ThunderDrone Rapid Prototyping Event II in Tampa, Fla., Jan. 31, 2018. The event enabled collaboration in combating threats from enemy unmanned aircraft systems such as quadcopters and drones. SOFWERX is an open collaboration facility that has successfully brought hundreds of non-traditional partners together to work on some of U.S. Special Operations Command’s most challenging problems. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Barry Loo)
Service members and Praxis Technologies Inc. employees discuss unmanned aircraft systems technology at SOFWERX’s ThunderDrone Rapid Prototyping Event II in Tampa, Fla., Jan. 30, 2018. The event enabled collaboration in combating threats from enemy unmanned aircraft systems such as quadcopters and drones. SOFWERX is an open collaboration facility that has successfully brought hundreds of non-traditional partners together to work on some of U.S. Special Operations Command’s most challenging problems. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Barry Loo)
Army Gen. Raymond A. Thomas III, commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, visits SOFWERX’s ThunderDrone Rapid Prototyping Event II in Tampa, Fla., Jan. 31, 2018. The event enabled collaboration in combating threats from enemy unmanned aircraft systems such as quadcopters and drones. SOFWERX is an open collaboration facility that has successfully brought hundreds of non-traditional partners together to work on some of U.S. Special Operations Command’s most challenging problems. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Barry Loo)
Tyler Jandreau, from Millennium Engineering and Integration, tries out virtual reality training software at SOFWERX’s ThunderDrone Rapid Prototyping Event II in Tampa, Fla., Jan. 30, 2018. The event enabled collaboration in combating threats from enemy unmanned aircraft systems such as quadcopters and drones. SOFWERX is an open collaboration facility that has successfully brought hundreds of non-traditional partners together to work on some of U.S. Special Operations Command’s most challenging problems. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Barry Loo)
QRC Technologies’ counter unmanned aircraft system software is on display at SOFWERX’s ThunderDrone Rapid Prototyping Event II in Tampa, Fla., Jan. 30, 2018. The event enabled collaboration in combating threats from enemy unmanned aircraft systems such as quadcopters and drones. SOFWERX is an open collaboration facility that has successfully brought hundreds of non-traditional partners together to work on some of U.S. Special Operations Command’s most challenging problems. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Barry Loo)
Tyler Jandreau, from Millennium Engineering and Integration, tries out virtual reality training software at SOFWERX’s ThunderDrone Rapid Prototyping Event II in Tampa, Fla., Jan. 30, 2018. The event enabled collaboration in combating threats from enemy unmanned aircraft systems such as quadcopters and drones. SOFWERX is an open collaboration facility that has successfully brought hundreds of non-traditional partners together to work on some of U.S. Special Operations Command’s most challenging problems. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Barry Loo)
Service members and representatives from technology industries, academia and laboratories converged for SOFWERX's ThunderDrone Rapid Prototyping Event II in Tampa, Fla., Jan. 29 through 31.
The event enabled collaboration in combating threats from enemy unmanned aircraft systems such as quadcopters and drones.
"We're hosting the event for Special Operations Command and the Defense Department's Strategic Capabilities Office to explore and investigate not only what exists, but what is the art of the possible in the world of counter-UAS," said John Coglianese, SOFWERX ThunderDrone director.
SOFWERX is an open collaboration facility that has successfully brought hundreds of non-traditional partners together to work on some of USSOCOM's most challenging problems, including the threat from small, commercial drones that U.S. military forces are seeing overseas.
"There is no doubt about it that as the enemy adapts and we have emerging threats," Coglianese said. "You absolutely want to have technology… to address that threat."
One way ThunderDrone supports counter-UAS efforts is by finding companies that have complementary technologies. With 95 technologies on display, vendors interacted with each other and identified technology that would enable them to detect, identify, track, defeat and assess enemy UAS aggression.
"I'm pairing some of them together and then over the next few months they can evolve and grow those systems," said Air Force Capt. Barron Stone, SOFWERX ThunderDrone project manager.
The event was the second in the ThunderDrone rapid prototyping series, which focused on discussions and ideas prior to the next round of development.
"It could be a mature capability, it could be conceptual, it could be an idea," said Coglianese.
The latest event will not be the last, however. Approximately 30 of the most promising technologies will go on to an outdoor demonstration event in April on Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
"We'll be testing in the field everything from non-kinetic RF jamming systems to things that hunt down and kinetically take out bad drones," Stone said.
Winners of the next ThunderDrone rapid prototyping event will be awarded cash prizes from a total purse of over $600,000.
