MUSCAT, JULY 14 - A state-of-the-art drone detection system selected for deployment at Muscat International Airport will be the first of its kind in the world, according to the local partner of the German technology provider. Aaditya Khimji, Managing Director of R&N Khimji LLC, which represents the German-based equipment manufacturer Aaronia AG in the Sultanate, said the AARTOS anti-drone system will reinforce Muscat Airport’s international credentials.
“We are proud to support Oman Airport in their vision to become a global leader in the aviation industry,” said Khimji. “We are proud that we can deploy a system that is state-of-the-art, and it’s great to show that Oman is a progressive place that is leading the way in making sure that our airport environment is safe (through the deployment of) something unique and the first of its kind in the world.”
On Sunday, Ramesh Khimji, Chairman of R&N Khimji LLC, signed an agreement with Shaikh Aimen al Hosni, CEO — Oman Airports, for the supply and installation of a high-tech drone detection system for the Sultanate’s main international gateway.
Speaking to the Observer, Aaditya Khimji said Aaronia’s radio frequency (RF) based anti-drone system has significant advantages over radar-based systems currently dominating the industry. “Everybody believes the best solution is radar technology, but unfortunately, radars can interfere with airport systems, whereas our system is based on radio frequency (RF) detection, so we are able to find a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) from their communication to the remote control of a drone; therefore, we are not emitting anything that may interfere with (systems) that exist in an airport environment.”
Drone detection has become imperative in today’s airport environment, says Khimji. “When you talk about UAVs and drones, it’s a major issue because, if they are in a flight path, they can cause serious issues with the plane where it could be catastrophic; We know what had happened at Heathrow, Gatwick and even in Dubai, where we have had major shutdowns of airports.”
As part of its contract, the Aaronia — R&N Khimji partnership will install an array of antennas at the airport, as well as supply cameras to track the drones once they are detected, said Khimji. The anti-drone system has the capability to detect all manner of drones because it covers the complete spectrum from 6 megahertz to 20 gigahertz. “Everything (operates) within this space — from GSM to LTE to Wifi, you name it! Basically, any way a UAV can communicate is within this spectrum,” he added
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