Northwest Aerospace News October | November Issue No. 23 | Page 11

That in turn has led buyers in the defense and security industries to acquire networks of EchoGuard radars to maintain surveillance over restricted areas .

EchoGuard
In Europe in particular , Frankenberg said , there ’ s been strong interest in creating anti-drone surveillance networks around airports , ever since the 2018 incident where reports of drones flying close to the runway at London ’ s Gatwick Airport led to a three-day closure and a thousand canceled flights .
“ After that happened , the EU has been more aware of that problem and looking for solutions ,” he said .
But for EchoGuard to be used outside the United States , Echodyne had to adjust the frequency band that it operates in to match the authorized bands in each jurisdiction .
Given that each country sets its own regulations for frequency use , “ That ’ s challenging for a new technology entrant such as us ,” Frankenberg said .
Echodyne engineers also worked hard to get CE marks for the company ’ s products – administrative marks that signal Echodyne products meet European standards for health , safety and environmental protection , which allows them to be sold in countries within the European Economic Area .
That also was a big deal for the company , Frankenberg said , in that it expands the pool of potential European customers . “ If you ’ re selling directly to a government entity , sometimes those CE marks aren ’ t required ,” he said . “ But if you ’ re selling to commercial or non-defense users , they ’ re important .”
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