A Dutch company that began its life detecting birds near airports has become one of the hottest names in counter-drone defense, with Middle East governments lining up to buy its radar systems after Iran's drone attacks in the Gulf.
As "Hvylya" reports, citing the Financial Times, Robin Radar Systems pivoted from bird detection to military applications in 2014 and has supplied its advanced IRIS 3D counter-drone radars to Ukraine for the past three years.
Siete Hamminga, the company's chief executive, said Robin Radar is getting "a lot of inquiries at the moment from the affected countries in the Middle East." The company's systems, which offer "last mile protection," cost less than $1 million compared with "traditional air defense radars which can cost anything between $20 million and $50 million a piece," Hamminga said.
The demand surge reflects a broader problem. Standard radar systems struggle to detect small, low-flying Shahed drones, which is why Ukraine's tech companies developed a nationwide network of acoustic sensors to identify them by sound signature. A new breed of short-range radar firms has emerged to fill the gap.
Despite the cost advantage, Hamminga acknowledged that comprehensive air defense requires a combination of long and short-range radars - no single system can do it all. The company's radars provide close-range detection, but they must be layered with more expensive systems for full coverage.
Previously: Israel's Defense Minister: Iranian Leadership Hiding in Tunnels Like Hamas.