Announced today at DEFSEC Atlantic: Sparrowhawk provided the detect-and-avoid picture behind every flight of the Royal Canadian Navy's new CU-179 Peregrine at CFMETR, the first certified DAA deployment by an armed force anywhere in the world.
Over four flying days at Nanoose Bay (24 Aug–4 Sep), Sparrowhawk fused radar, ADS-B and AIS into one continuous air and surface picture of CYR107.
Two moments tell the story: Sparrowhawk detected a low-flying GA aircraft transiting the range with no ADS-B — invisible to a cooperative-only airspace picture, visible to radar. During touch-and-go ops on 1 Sept, a range incursion put the CU-179 on hold on the helipad until the airspace cleared. Detect-and-avoid working exactly as designed.
Airspace enablement and airspace denial are two sides of the same coin. The sensing that lets friendly aircraft fly safely among other users is the same sensing that finds the aircraft that shouldn't be there. This deployment demonstrates the pathway for DND and allied forces to access civilian airspace at scale — without closing it to anyone else.
Six RCN operators trained and running the system within the deployment. Transport Canada-accepted compliance evidence from flight one.
We're at DEFSEC Atlantic through Thursday — Booth B407.
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