Chennai-based Big Bang Boom Solutions Pvt Ltd (BBBS) has bagged one of the largest contracts ever for a start-up by supplying anti-drone systems to the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army at a cost of worth more than ₹200 crore.
The BBBS’s Vajra Sentinel System is a modern solution designed to detect, track, and neutralise drones at extraordinary ranges. “It’s an Artificial Intelligence (AI) fingerprinting-based RF detection and jamming technology, and works by intercepting the communication between the drone and remote control,” Dr R Shivaraman, Director and CTO of the BBBS, told businessline.
The Vajra Sentinel System offers soft kill by jamming, and hard kill by interceptor drones. The range of operation can be up to 10 km, with the option of hard kill getting activated at a distance of 5 to 6 km, Dr Sivaraman said while adding that the anti-drone technology has the potential to neutralise swarm UAVs as well.
The system’s core sensor built around AI and computer vision algorithms enables precise identification, classification and location identification of drones, the start-up said. Additionally, its sophisticated decision-making matrix enables autonomous decision-making for counter measures such as signal jamming and other counter measures.
The company said the system uses passive RF sensor technology to eliminate false alarms, and its sensor and jammer combination meets stringent mil standard specifications for durability and reliability. It has a number of tech improvements such as AESA radar and kamikaze drones, which can be upgraded on demand by the user.
The contract, the BBS said, handed over to Dr Shivaraman in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, is the largest under the Indian Defence Exhibition (iDEX) initiative of the Ministry of Defence, and is one of the largest signed by the Ministry with an Indian start-up.
The BBBS said it will commence execution to meet delivery timelines immediately, for comprehensive training, and other support to the IAF and Indian Army, to ensure seamless integration of this vital technology into their defence strategies.