Australia to acquire C-UAS sensor system from UK firm

OpenWorks Engineering's Vision Guard sensor system. (OpenWorks Engineering)

The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has awarded a contract to UK-based firm OpenWorks Engineering to supply a sensor system to support the Australian Defence Force's (ADF's) counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) operations.

OpenWorks said on 17 June that the contract was awarded under the DoD's AUD1.3 billion (USD911.5 million) Project Land 156, which aims to establish a layered and distributed C-UAS capability for the ADF.

Under the contract, OpenWorks will deliver its Vision Guard sensor system for ADF evaluation as an early warning system for dismounted soldiers operating as a tripwire force, the company said.

Vision Guard integrates OpenWorks' artificial intelligence and data fusion software to detect, track and identify small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at long range. It provides panoramic persistent surveillance for forward observation and covert operations, including in low light.

OpenWorks said the system can be configured with combinations of active and passive wide–area sensors, including radar and acoustic panels.

The company added that Vision Guard can be carried in a standard military backpack and deployed in under two minutes to provide a distributed C-UAS capability, reducing reliance on strategic assets, and supporting freedom of manoeuvre.

According to the company, Vision Guard has been operated by US and undisclosed European militaries. The system was also evaluated by the UK and US armies during a joint exercise in mid-2025 under Project ‘Vanaheim', which aims to rapidly test and deploy portable C-UAS systems.

OpenWorks had not responded to Janes request for more information at the time of publication.

For more, please see: Australia selects Leidos as systems integration partner for C-UAS project