Axon President Josh Isner highlighted Dedrone’s strong international presence and suggested that the acquisition could contribute to Axon’s international channel growth
Public safety technology company Axon Enterprise has announced its plans to acquire counter-drone technology leader Dedrone. This acquisition is part of Axon’s efforts to advance the development of drones as first responders (DFR).
The acquisition of Dedrone follows two other recent purchases by Axon. The first was Sky-Hero, which specialises in designing, developing, and producing a Unified Indoor Tactical Recon System. The second acquisition was Fusus, a company offering an open and unified intelligence ecosystem that integrates and enhances public safety and investigations assets for law enforcement, first responders, and private security personnel.
According to Axon Founder and CEO Rick Smith, the company believes that robotic security applications involving drones and related technologies will play a significant role in its mission. Smith mentioned during an earnings call on Monday that acquiring Dedrone would address certain obstacles related to first-responder applications.
“Smith believes drones as first responders are a ‘massive opportunity’ that will drive faster response times and improve decision-making, giving law enforcement or security personnel ‘extra seconds and more information’ before acting in critical situations.”
DFR programs aim to deploy drones to emergencies before human first responders, thereby enhancing situational awareness, optimising resource allocation, and reducing risks to first responders and communities.
However, Smith highlighted that DFR programs have faced challenges due to FAA requirements mandating the presence of a human virtual observer in direct line of sight of drones. He explained that Dedrone’s technology could address these limitations by enabling law enforcement to operate in low-visibility conditions and at various times of the day without the need for a human observer with a direct line of sight.
“We believe Dedrone’s technology solves these limitations, allowing law enforcement to operate in low-visibility conditions and at times of day without the need to maintain a human observer with a line of sight.”
Smith also noted the importance of drone tracking and countermeasures, particularly in mitigating airborne threats to targets such as stadiums, infrastructure, and major events. Despite potential privacy concerns, Smith emphasized the public’s expectation for local government and public safety to protect life and property.
“The Dedrone acquisition ‘could end up being an opportunity where it’s not only useful to our existing customers but also new customers, such as sports stadiums, infrastructure or the military,’ Smith said. ‘We have a customer set that is new to us and this can bring our ecosystem to those customers as well.'”
Axon President Josh Isner highlighted Dedrone’s strong international presence and suggested that the acquisition could contribute to Axon’s international channel growth.
Axon CFO and COO Brittany Bagley emphasized that robotic security would be a key aspect of the company’s business with long-term growth potential. Dedrone will be integrated into Axon’s software and sensor product category.
