The Ministry of Economy and Innovation of Lithuania has selected three companies with which it will continue developing tools to counter weather balloons and drones used by smugglers.
Earlier, the ministry announced a €1 million program. At the first stage, three proposals from the companies IT Logika, Teltonika EMS and Dangaus įvojimas were chosen. They will each receive grants of €100,000. If necessary, a second competition will be held later to implement the ideas based on companies’ needs. In total, the ministry received proposals from 35 participants.
According to the ministry, IT Logika, in cooperation with Vilnius University and the companies Integrated Optics and Arx Polaris, will develop an Intelligent Optical Enhanced Airspace Security System (IOEAS). The system will rely on aircraft capable of operating at high altitudes and high-speed low-altitude aerial vehicles.
An integrated laser-optical sensor will allow detection and identification of targets at any time of day, while a high-powered laser will enable the safe downing of several balloons in a single flight. Trajectory forecasting and object recognition will be performed using artificial-intelligence algorithms. Real-time information will be supplied from DBOX drone base stations, radars and other geographically distributed sensors.
The Teltonika EMS consortium, consisting of ADV Defense, Quantum Systems and Defsecintel, proposed a system based on Lithuanian interceptor drones. It is intended to integrate sensors, drones and a command center.
Dangaus įvojimas proposed a system based on aerostats and various technologies for the safe landing of smuggler weather balloons.