<;

BIRD Aerosystems has successfully trialled its Ocean Surveillance Control and Reconnaissance solution OSCAR in Africa. During the trial, the OSCAR system was operated for a customer in Africa, and applied machine-learning algorithms on real-time maritime data sources such as satellite and terrestrial AIS, satellite SAR/EO/IR, LRIT, coastal radars and tactical sensors used to detect, analyse and prioritise suspicious vessels.

The information provided by the OSCAR system enabled the customer to focus on specific vessels that were detected by the system as acting suspiciously, examine them, and incriminate the ones performing illegal activities.

'The system was very effective in pointing out the suspicious vessels amongst hundreds of ordinary vessels, therefore allowing the customer to pinpoint their maritime patrol activities and achieve a very high operational efficiency in a cost-effective way,” stated Ronen Factor, co-CEO and founder at BIRD Aerosystems.

Israeli-based BIRD Aerosystems develops special mission aircraft solutions and airborne missile protection systems.

Combined with a secure over-the-cloud deployment and multi-sensor integration, OSCAR provides 24/7 protection of the maritime domain and Tier-1 level of prevention against illegal activities at sea such as illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, oil theft, smuggling, and illegal transshipment, as well as for Exclusive Economic Zone  monitoring. 

Fully autonomous and personally customised for the needs of each customer, BIRD Aerosystems says OSCAR handles oceans of data quickly and efficiently, driving operational costs down and detection probabilities up.

The successful trial and the solution's capabilities will be presented during the upcoming Africa Maritime Security Forum in Senegal from the 20–22 January.