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photo: DefSecIntel

Keeping the borders safe

Being present in Ukraine helps DefSecIntel Solutions, the Estonian creator of monitoring systems, to make rapid product development based on feedback from the front line.

by Mari Peegel

“DefSecIntel products can be used both for border guard, police and defence purposes, but also in the field of environmental protection,” said Jaanus Tamm, the company's president and CEO. 

 

One of these products is the mobile autonomous surveillance platform SurveilSPIRE.  The high mast placed on the trailer - 20 metres plus, depending on the customer's needs - which has remote surveillance cameras that can see both at night and in daylight at a range of more than 20 kilometres, and AI-assisted technology. 

The integrated drone station makes this platform unique: multi-rotor drones fly out of the platform and perform verification missions or just surveillance missions in the area that the camera is able to monitor, explained Tamm. According to Tamm, the product is autonomous: if you place it near the border, where there is currently a danger, it will work there with solar batteries, batteries and a backup generator. “No operator is needed in the field, everything can be done from the office,” said Tamm. Another product - Caiman- is a sensor system mounted on top of a pick-up truck, such as a Toyota Hilux or Ford Ranger, with several different sensors, such as acoustic sensors, but also camera systems for drone detection. Caiman is also equipped with AI-assisted technology. The solution is unique, as it enables situational awareness and monitoring to be carried out at speeds of up to 60 km/h, while remaining sufficiently inconspicuous. Although both systems - SurveilSPIRE and Caiman - have been used on the battlefield, neither is a weapon system because there is no kinetic element. “The third system - EIRSHIELD - which we introduced in June, is our newest. It is an ultra-short range air defence system, where we do all the monitoring and detection. There are two versions of it: one is a solution made especially for Ukraine, where the whole system, equipped with various effectors, is located on a train platform, and the other is a civilian version, which is placed on a minibus like a Mercedes Sprinter or a Volkswagen Crafter,” said Tamm. “Radars detect drones, and if necessary, they look at what kind of radio communication the enemy drone has, and then apply various effectors, such as a directional jammer. Another option is to use an interceptor drone, which goes in and takes down the enemy drone with a net. The third option is that we provide targeting information to small rocket or machine gun systems. We don't manage them ourselves, but we give input, and then a kinetic influencer deals with them,” explained Tamm. DefSecIntel, which is both the Estonian Exporter of the Year 2024 and the Estonian Innovator of the Year 2024, today primarily has customers in the European region: Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Estonia. At the moment, all clients are national, as the company has not yet entered the private sector. One of DefSecIntel's biggest customers and users is Ukraine, where their products are used daily on the battlefield. “They are used for various purposes, for example, to detect the movement of enemy troops or collaborators in the rear,” said Tamm. The cooperation with Ukraine stems from Tamm's previous work. “I have been in this sector for over 15 years and with previous companies I have helped more than 25 border guard agencies around the world. I also had contacts with Ukrainian border guards before the full-scale war,” added Tamm. Today, DefSecIntel has its head office in Tallinn and factories in both Estonia and Ukraine. In total, the company employs more than 100 people. Almost half of them are software developers and engineers: mechanical, production or hardware engineers.

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