Sam Hood, Consultant at Black Sea Associates, discusses the threats posed by drone warfare on critical infrastructure.     

Can you tell me about Black Sea Associates?  

Black Sea Associates (BSA) is a veteran owned intelligence and risk firm which has its foundations in the Ukraine war.

Founded by a team of defence professionals with diverse backgrounds from military intelligence and government organisations to global finance and risk management experts.  

BSA focusses on the most critical geostrategic challenges of our time.

By addressing current fault lines and anticipating emerging trends, we empower informed strategic and tactical decisions, maximising opportunities and minimising risk.    

SyOps are experts in the field of security and communication with combined experience of 24 years.

With the team having served 22 years in the British Army.

In today’s hyper-connected world, the digital landscape is more dynamic—and perilous—than ever before.

Threats are constantly evolving and data-driven intelligence has become the bedrock for safeguarding organisations. SyOps stands at the forefront of digital defence and strategic intelligence.   

BSA and SyOps are aligned in their efforts to tackle the most complex challenges facing the security and defence sector.

Both firms have a shared passion in providing expert advice to the government and private sector.  

One of the largest issues identified by these firms is the threat posed by drone warfare.

The impact on targeted individuals on the battlefield is beyond measure and is well documented by drone footage and shared on social media.    

What is less obvious is the impact this warfare has on the commercial sector. Daily, Houthi drones are targeting private shipping companies in the Red Sea.

A-list concerts are being halted due to unlicensed drones threatening performers and crowds. Airports are grounding planes due to suspected sightings.    

As drone technology rapidly develops, it is imperative that counter drone technology (CUAS) is a priority to ensure industries can protect themselves.     

Can you explain the technology you use?  

SyOps’ object detection technology uses a combination of sensors to provide complete, incredibly accurate, live coverage of fixed-site infrastructures and oil tankers alike.   

This layered approach can include (but is by no means limited to) pan tilt zoom (PTZ) cameras, radar and radio frequency (RF) detection — and is entirely tailored to the site or vessel in question, to provide 100% coverage, 100% of the time.

No blind spots, no downtime. No room for human fallibility, fatigue, or error.   

It uses advanced artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to enable real-time identification and tracking of objects, which means operators can detect and classify objects of interest (such as vehicles, vessels, individuals, or specific items) both within the monitored area and at long range.

The cameras can detect up to 20km away, with RF detection capability (i.e. of drones) up to 10km.   

The system’s state-of-the-art object detection and facial recognition capabilities mean it can provide instant alerts and notifications in response to the presence of any unauthorised or unrecognised personnel or vehicle, to enable a swift, initiative-taking response.

This not only enhances security, but streamlines operations by automating tedious tasks, optimising resource allocation and facilitating efficient incident management.  

How does it help the security industry? 

Its primary function is security: and more specifically, protection against intruders, vehicles and hostile drones.

Employed in areas such as critical infrastructure, border protection and the maritime industry.

But its machine learning and AI capabilities also have health and safety benefits — it can detect smoke, heat, fire and even whether operators are wearing hard hats, as just a few examples. 

What are its tangible benefits, in practical terms for operators, but also the wider company?  

Time — Its wider range of coverage gives operators time to employ security protocols and mitigate intrusions or risks before they even happen.  

Efficiency — With less reliance on manpower, there is never any drop in quality or break in coverage. The equipment works 24/7/365: no fatigue, no downtime.   

Capability — It works better, faster and more accurately than manned sentry points or traditional CCTV solutions.   

Cost — reduced manpower, less costly insurance premiums and fewer security violations mean vastly reduced costs in the long term.  

Agility — The equipment can be fixed or mobile (e.g. mounted on trailers or permanent structures and vessels) so it can be moved and redeployed elsewhere if necessary.   

Who in the maritime industry is using this to date and with what results?  

A number of large shipping companies have chosen to deploy object detection equipment in the Red Sea as an onboard early warning system.

It gives them time to identify, detect and initiate security protocols in response to remotely operated hostile vessels and drones, in a bid to protect everyone on the ship as well as the company’s interests.  

How would you counter the argument that people on-site could do the same job?  

High-powered cameras can detect and respond to threats up to 20km away, both in the day and at night.

Similarly, regardless of the conditions, RF and radar sensors can detect objects not visible to the naked eye — and automation can instantly classify all those threats.

Humans simply cannot do that.  

How does this work with any existing systems, security or otherwise?  

Fusion is our state-of-the-art object detection multi-frequency surveillance command and control (C2) system that combines data from innovative sensors.

Existing security equipment can easily be integrated to fusion providing a single pane of glass for the operator.  

Fusion utilises machine learning and data fusion to synthesize multiple data streams provided by sensors into a single-screen dashboard.

Fused radar, radio frequency (RF) and electro-optical (EO) data ensure accurate air defence capabilities.

Fusion is modular and can be built to suit operational requirements and geometry of site.

We can provide air defence capabilities for fixed, semi-mobile and mobile applications.

Fusion can be deployed in a security operations centre, on a laptop, tablet, or smartphone.  

Can you guarantee all the data recorded is secure?  

Yes, all servers are on-premise are hard-wired and fully encrypted, to provide completely secure traffic.

SyOps heavily depends on SonarQube as a crucial component of its code quality and security practices.

This article was originally published in the December Edition of Security Journal UK. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.