News

NEWS ARTICLES

Aerial Drone Aids in Chemical Train Derailment Response
Government Technology (www.govtech.com)
By Brian Heaton online
December 12, 2012

Faced with a chemical train derailment in the southwest area of Jefferson County, Ky., in October, Louisville Emergency Management Agency Director Doug Hamilton sent in an aerial drone to take photographs and observe the scene. The drone sent back valuable information that helped Hamilton evaluate the situation without risking the lives of emergency personnel who normally would have approached the area on foot...
Read full article online at Government Technology website.

Datron Scout Air Reconnaissance System (ARS) Backpackable/Manpackable Lightweight Quad-Rotor VTOL Micro Air Vehicle (MAV)/UAS/UAV for Tactical Surveillance Missions (Video!)
Defense Review
By David Crane November 13, 2012 online

Defense Review got the opportunity to do this at HALO Counter-Terrorism Summit 2012 in San Diego. The weather there offered perfect flight conditions for the Scout MAV, so the Datron team did a lot of flying. The first thing DR noticed about the Scout was that it looked good. Believe it or not, when it comes to tactical equipment, looks matter...
Read full story at Defense Review

High-Tech Report - Datron SCOUT
KUSI NEWS
October 2, 2012 online

Christopher Barter, Scout Program Manager, interviewed by David Davis on the Good Morning San Diego High-Tech report Tuesday, October 2, 2012...
KUSI.com - KUSI News - San Diego CA - News, Weather, PPR

Datron SCOUT – Portable Micro Drone!
American Cop Magazine
30 August 2012 online - October 2012 print

About a hundred years ago, when I was a cop with a large department in Southern California, we were suffering with the pandemic scourge of methamphetamine use. The precursors were easy to get, it was easy to cook, easy to step on and there was certainly no lack of a customer base in my city and the county. A great deal of the production and distribution chain was the realm of organized outlaw biker criminal enterprises. Most had large compounds in the backcountry of the county making it hugely difficult for surveillance and intelligence gathering...
Read full story at American Cop Magazine

The Datron SCOUT – A Path Forward for Organic Unmanned Systems
MILITARY TECHNOLOGY - Online Blog
11 June 2012 - 10:00

The UAS has become increasingly pervasive throughout military user groups the world abroad. The US alone has flown over 2.5 million UAS hours since 1999 – and that number is rising exponentially. However a new push to drive Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance to the “organic” levels for deployment to strategic squads and platoons has redefined the way battlefield commanders and small team leaders gain situational awareness in often chaotic and rapidly changing environments...
Read full story at MILITARY TECHNOLOGY Blog

Defense Services Asia (DSA) 2012: High Interest in Datron's SDR Solutions
MILITARY TECHNOLOGY - Online Blog
16 April 2012 - 10:57

Datron is exhibiting their RT7700 specific for naval customers. The RT7700 is an IP addressable, digital HF Radio which combines DSP-IF circuitry and powerful microprocessors in a robust desktop or rack-mountable package supporting the demands for HF Voice and Data communications. It is capable of supplying up to 125W PEP, 100W continuous over a 100% duty cycle...
Read full story at MILITARY TECHNOLOGY Blog

Large Business of the Year, Datron World Communications
Datron recognized as Large Business of the Year at Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce’s 2012 annual Business Awards Dinner
The Coast News - Christina Macone-Greene
February 28, 2012

CARLSBAD — The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce’s 2012 annual Business Awards Dinner hosted another memorable evening for more than 550 guests. The Feb. 17 soiree, themed, “The Sky is Limitless,” was held at the La Costa Resort and Spa and brimmed with savories, conversation, speeches and awards.Often described as a Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce’s signature event, the evening distributed an array of awards and was emceed by financial columnist and radio personality George Chamberlin. For Toni Padron, executive vice president and COO of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, the annual business dinner had all of the glitz and glamour of an awards show coupled with top-notch production values...
Read full story at The Coast News

AFCEA West 2012: Datron unveils new manpack radio
Digital Battlespace - Beth Stevenson in San Diego, US
25 January 2012 - 9:39

Datron World Communications has launched a manpack variant of its high frequency (HF) software-defined radio. Unveiling the new PRC7700H radio at the AFCEA West conference in San Diego on 24 January, Randy Hermes, product manager for the radio, said the company mainly has a customer base outside of the US, but is hoping that the sophistication of the new system will lead to demand from the US military...
Read full story at Digital Battlespace

The Now Inevitable Mini-vertilift Drone
By Roy Braybrook, Armada International
Issue 6/2011 December/January

The best-known American continent's quadrotor is probably the 1.17-kg Datron/Aeryon Labs Scout (as described in Armada's Drone Compendium 2011), which participated in the maritime portion of the recent Empire Challenge 2011 at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Now a mature development featuring easily interchageable snap-on components and composite material rotor blades, it recently made headline (see our title photo). The Scout was used by the Libyan rebels in their push to oust the Gaddafi regime, and Datron has provided some unique footage...
Read story excerpted here [PDF]

Scout UAV gets new wrinkles, investment from Datron
Oct 19, 2011 4:12 PM
By Glenn Bischoff
The Scout unmanned aerial vehicle, which is manufactured by Waterloo, Ont.–based Aeryon Labs and distributed worldwide by Datron World Communications, now sports Flir’s Tau 320 and Tau 360 infrared cameras in its payload and features longer propeller and rotor arms. The former is to enable nighttime operations, while the latter is to allow the UAV to fly at much higher altitudes while maintaining its wind resistance. Currently the UAV can fly in sustained winds of roughly 31 mph and withstand gusts up to 50 mph.

In addition, a new version of the UAV’s operating software has been released that features an “auto-grid” function, according to Chris Barter, Scout product manager...
Read full story at Urgent Communications

Datron Scout at DSEi 2011
September 16, 2011 2:41 p.m.

The Scout micro-UAV played a critical role in the waterborne demonstrations at the 2011 Defence & Security Equipment International exhibition in London, England. Operating in concert with other aircraft and waterborne assets, the Scout provided live streaming video critical to the successful resolution of a simulated offshore piracy and hostage rescue event.

Tech attracts attention at DSEi
By Jonathan Katzenellenbogen, defenceWeb
September 16, 2011 2:41 p.m.

The UAV that helped the Libyan Rebels
The Datron Scout, a micro unmanned aerial system, shot to world attention with its recent use by the Libyan rebels in their march on Tripoli.

A video made by the rebels with a camera mounted on the Scout Aerial Reconnaissance System showing a Libyan government artillery battery firing was uploaded to You Tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ3hEt0EOkc) and has had over a half million hits in less than a month. The Scout was transferred to the rebels by the Canadian government.
Read full story at defenceWeb.com

Popular Science: In Which Our Intrepid Reporter Becomes a Drone Pilot for a Day
By Clay Dillow, Popular Science
August 25, 2011 10:01 a.m.

Washington D.C. (PopSci.com) The offer came simply via the subject line of an email: “Want to fly a drone?” It was from Todd Backus of DATRON, a maker of--among other things--military grade radio communication systems and tactical data networking setups based in Vista, Calif. It was a question that didn’t require a whole lot of consideration on my part--if there were drones to fly at AUVSI’s massive unmanned systems show in Washington D.C. last week, I was going to fly them.
Read full story at PopSci.com

Flying lessons: Learning how to pilot a drone
By Bryony Jones, CNN
June 30, 2011 8:32 a.m. EDT

Paris (CNN) -- Police and military forces are increasingly reliant on unmanned aerial vehicles to do jobs deemed too risky for humans to do in person, with drones regularly used in surveillance and warfare, from Liverpool to Libya.

So just how easy is it to pilot one? CNN got a drone flying lesson to find out.

The makers of one drone recently exhibited at the Paris Air Show claim their UAV is designed to be easier to use than a computer game -- which is just as well but I've never been much good with games either, whether World of Warcraft or Wii.

I am also easily the clumsiest person I know. I can't be trusted near large displays of china and glassware, so putting me in control of an expensive piece of military hardware may turn out to be the most foolhardy move the team at Datron has ever made.
Read full story at CNN.com

PAS 2011: Empire Challenge highlights US Army VTOL shortages
June 23, 2011
Andrew White - Unmanned Vehicles (uvonline.com)
The US Army is in the midst of evaluating requirements for a small, tactical VTOL UAV capability following this year's Empire Challenge exercise in North Carolina, according to an industry figure.

Speaking to Shephard at the Paris Air Show, programme manager for the Datron Scout VTOL UAV, Christopher Barter, conceded that the army had yet to release a request for proposals (RfP) but remained bullish about the potential for such a system in the tactical environment...
Read full story at Unmanned Vehicles

Police Aviation News - Paris Air Show
Paris Air Show, Paris, France (June 22, 2011)
The Datron Scout Air Reconnaissance System is a small, rugged and lightweight unmanned Micro Air Vehicle designed to capture and transmit high quality video and images in the field. There are many similar devices on the market and perhaps the most familiar examples are manufactured in Germany. None to my knowledge make, and strongly defend, the claim that their craft can survive and operate in winds of 50km/h [30mph].
Read full story at Police Aviation News [PDF pg 18]

Datron Scout - UAV reconnaissance with the stability of four rotors
Paris Air Show, Paris, France (June 21, 2011)
By Darren Quick, Gizmag
With a weatherproof design that allows it to capture and transmit high quality video in dusty and hot or cold conditions and winds of up to 50 km/h (31 mph), Datron says the Scout is suited for a variety of military, law enforcement, fire and civilian applications...
Read full story at Gizmag

Datron Scout – Empire Challenge 2011 Success
20 June 2011
By Gary Mortimer - sUAS News (suasnews.com)
Datron Scout Showcased “Hover and Grab” Landing, 10X Optical Zoom Camera, and 2.4 kilometer (1.5 mile) Mission Reach in a Harsh Environment
San Diego, CA (June 15, 2011) - Datron Scout, a lightweight quad rotor Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) designed for air reconnaissance and surveillance in harsh environments, played an important role during the maritime-based portion of the recent Empire Challenge 2011 in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. As a part of this event, Datron Scout was responsible for the silent surveillance of points of interest -- and their movements -- detected by unattended ground sensors and airborne assets. The Datron Scout’s success in this demonstration was highlighted by...
Read full story at sUAS News

Datron Scout featured in Armada Drone Compendium
(Armada Compendia Issue 3/2011, Pg 28)
The quad-rotor Datron Scout featured on our cover is worthy of a paragraph here. Since its introduction last year at Eurosatory, the 1.3 kilo Scout has undergone significant developments to enhance its usability in the defence arena. As earlier described in Armade, one of the unique features of the Scout is its quick component snap-on assembly - including payload and battery - before flight. The second is its operation, which is simplicity itself...
Read full issue of Armada Drone Compendium

Datron Scout Unmanned Aerial Vehicle features new payloads
(Urgent Communications, Glenn Bischoff - Apr 13, 2011 4:11 PM)
Datron World Communications has made a slew of improvements to its Scout unmanned aerial vehicle, including two new payloads and structural enhancements that make the device more durable and sturdier.
Read full story at Urgent Communications

Satellite Networks and Public Safety
(RadioResource MissionCritical Communications November/December 2010 Vol. 25, No. 11)
Satellite communications plays an increasingly important role in supporting emergency response teams. The global nature of man-made and natural disasters, as well as mobility requirements of rapidly deployed equipment and personnel, further stresses the traditional public-safety, terrestrial communications fabric...
Read Full Article [PDF]

PRESS RELEASES

Datron World Communications announces strategic leadership change with Kevin J. Kane joining as President and CEO
Art Barter to become President and CEO of the Servant Leadership Institute while remaining Chairman of Datron World Communications.
IWCE Stand #2503 Las Vegas, NV, March 13, 2013 - Datron World Communications, Inc. (www.dtwc.com), a leader in tactical and public safety communications products, today announced Kevin Kane as President and CEO. Kane will take over for Art Barter, owner of Transnortad Inc., the parent company of Datron World Communications. Barter will remain Chairman of Datron while focusing on the leadership and growth of the Servant Leadership Institute, a Transnortad company.Barter served as the President and CEO of Datron since his purchase of the company from Titan Corporation in 2004, and led the firm to unprecedented growth worldwide.

“I am delighted to welcome Kevin to Datron. Over the course of his career he has proven himself to be a strong leader with a talent for building great teams while formulating and achieving strategic objectives” stated Barter. “Under his guidance, Datron will continue to design, manufacture and sell products that provide the performance and value that our customers require and expect.” ...
Read Full Press Release [PDF]

Datron Receives JITC Certification for the PRC7700H HF Transceiver
Datron World Communications announces receipt of JITC certification – PRC7700H HF Tactical Manpack Radio conforms to Military Standard (MIL-STD)-188-141B including Appendix A.
San Diego, CA, November 15, 2012 - Datron World Communications, Inc. (www.dtwc.com), a leader in tactical and public safety communications products, today announced that the Company has received certification from the Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) for the Datron PRC7700H Tactical High Frequency (HF) Manpack Radio.

This certification includes conformance to the mandatory requirements of Military Standard (MIL-STD)-188-141B, including conformance to the Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) specifications in Appendix A. ...
Read Full Press Release [PDF]

Datron Scout Provides Real-Time Video and Photography to Assist in Recovery and Management Efforts for Chemical Train Derailment
Scout’s ability to deploy quickly and easily gives on the ground emergency coordinators an eye in the sky for real time decision making
San Diego, CA, November 14, 2012 - Datron World Communications, Inc. (www.dtwc.com), a leader in tactical and public safety communications products, today announced that their Scout UAV was instrumental in helping local, state and federal officials as well as first responders on the ground sort out solutions for dealing with a derailed tanker car containing toxic chemicals in Louisville, KY on November 1st. The derailed tanker car was carrying butadiene, a chemical commonly found in the rubber used to make tires. Additional chemical spills from other tankers included hydrogen fluoride which can cause severe respiratory damage.

Joel Embry, president of Drone Systems, was on-site with the Datron Scout the day following the disaster. Drone Systems, www.dronesystems.us, provides equipment as well as training and support for the Datron Scout...
Read Full Press Release [PDF]

Datron Guardian 2 VHF Radio Certified for Use on the WyoLink System
Certification Demonstrates Proven Reliability on P25 Infrastructure.
APCO, Booth #1727 Minneapolis, MN, August 20, 2012 - Datron World Communications, Inc. (www.dtwc.com), a leader in tactical and public safety communications products, today announced that their Guardian 2 VHF Radio is now certified for use on Wyoming’s Statewide Public-Safety Interoperable Radio Communications System – WyoLink. WyoLink is a statewide digital trunked VHF P-25 compliant public safety communications system designed to coordinate and integrate communications between state, local, and federal public safety agencies.

As a result of the testing performed in accordance with the Project 25 Compliance Assessment Program Baseline Common Air Interface Testing Requirements (P25-CAB-CAI_TEST_REQ), Datron radios were certified compatible with the WyoLink system and compliant with P25 standards...
Read Full Press Release [PDF]

Datron Successfully Completes Project 25 Compliance Assessment for the Guardian 2 VHF Radio
Compliance Assessment Demonstrates Proven Reliability on P25 Infrastructure.
San Diego, CA, June 11, 2012 - Datron World Communications, Inc. (www.dtwc.com), a leader in tactical and public safety communications products, today announced that their Guardian 2 VHF Radio is Project 25 Compliance Assessment Program (P25 CAP) validated.

The P25 CAP is a voluntary program that allows P25 equipment suppliers the opportunity to formally demonstrate their product compliance using a select group of P25 requirements. Successful completion of this testing validates that the equipment is in full compliance and conformance with P25 standards including interoperability for use by federal, state and local emergency response agencies...
Read Full Press Release [PDF]

Datron Receives JITC Certification for the RT7700 HF Transceiver
Datron World Communications announces receipt of JITC certification – RT7700 HF Transceiver conforms to Military Standard (MIL-STD)-188-141B including Appendix A.
San Diego, CA, March 20, 2012 - Datron World Communications, Inc. (www.dtwc.com), a leader in tactical and public safety communications products, today announced that on March 12, 2012, the Company received certification from the Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) for the Datron RT7700 Tactical High Frequency (HF) Transceiver.

This certification includes conformance to the mandatory requirements of Military Standard (MIL-STD)-188-141B, including conformance to the Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) specifications in Appendix A...
Read Full Press Release [PDF]

Datron Successfully Completes Interoperability (IOT) Testing for their Guardian 2 Series of Handheld P25 Radios
IWCE, Booth #7063, Las Vegas, Nevada, , February 22, 2012 - Datron World Communications today announced that they have successfully completed their IOT testing for their Guardian 2 VHF, UHF and Tri-Band handheld P25 radios.

The testing was performed on P25 Trunking systems at EF Johnson, Harris and Motorola. This successful testing represents another step in providing compliant, P25 terminals for statewide Trunking systems and for users requiring certifications.

“This represents another significant milestone in our commitment to deliver quality products to our public safety customers that meet all required specifications and exceed their expectations for performance,” says John Biljan, Director of Land Mobile Radio for Datron...
Read Full Press Release [PDF]

Datron Receives Industry Canada Approval
Datron World Communications announces receipt of approval to sell their Single Band VHF/UHF Guardian II Radio in Canada.
San Diego, CA, January 20, 2012 – Datron World Communications, Inc. (www.dtwc.com), a leader in tactical and public safety communications products, today announced receipt of approval for sale of their Single Band VHF/UHF Guardian II radio in Canada from Industry Canada.

“This approval was a critical stepping stone in our ability to offer our product into Canada and we are extremely pleased that Industry Canada has granted us their acceptance.” states John Biljan, Director of Land Mobile Radio for Datron. Industry Canada is an equivalent governing body to the FCC in the United States...
Read Full Press Release [PDF]

Datron Introduces New Mobile HF Radio - Next Product in the 7700 Line of HF Software Defined Radios (SDR)
The PRC7700H is designed to offer long range communications capability for Datron’s worldwide customers
AFCEA West, Booth #2209, San Diego, CA, January 24, 2012 - Datron World Communications, Inc. (www.dtwc.com), a leader in tactical and public safety communications products, today announced the introduction of it’s newest mobile HF, SDR radio, the PRC7700H. The new radio will provide enhanced, long range communications capability to military customers worldwide.

The PRC7700H is an IP addressable, HF, software defined radio which supports the demands for HF Voice and Data communications. The radio offers integrated 110B data, MELPe digital voice, digital encryption, 141B 2G and 3G ALE. Available in ruggedized manpack and mobile-mounted configurations, the radio extends voice and data communications to operations in remote regions of the world...
Read Full Press Release [PDF]

Datron World Communications Announces Strategic Investment in Aeryon Labs
Funding will Advance Development of Scout Micro-UAV Platform and Expand International Market Presence
AUSA, Stand #4149, Washington, DC, October 10, 2011 - Datron World Communications, Inc. (www.dtwc.com), a leader in the tactical and public safety communications industry, announced a significant equity investment in Aeryon Labs, a Canadian-based technology innovator of robotics for aerial intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Under terms of the agreement, Datron will become an equity partner in Aeryon Labs while maintaining its private label status and exclusive rights to distribute the Scout through the U.S. Government’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. FMS funding allows foreign militaries access to U.S. Government-sponsored assistance to purchase advanced communications technologies. The investment will also facilitate worldwide expansion and advance development of the Scout for tactical, government, public safety and commercial markets. Details of the arrangement were not announced....
Read Full Press Release [PDF]

APCO International Unveils 2011 Hot Products
The association selects 25 Hot Products from the 2011 Annual Conference
Daytona Beach, FL - September 22, 2011 - The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International has selected the Datron Scout from Datron World Communications as one of the 25 Hot Products from a review conducted at the 77th Annual APCO Conference in Philadelphia, Pa.
Read Full Press Release [PDF]

DATRON SCOUT MICRO UAV LIFTS TO 13,000 FEET
New High Altitude Capabilities Enable Datron Scout to Deploy in Harsh Mountain and High-Desert Environments
Washington DC (August 16, 2011) AUVSI UNMANNED SYSTEMS NORTH AMERICA - Datron Scout, a lightweight quad rotor Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) designed for air reconnaissance and surveillance in harsh environments, today announced the availability of high-altitude propellers that enable the Scout to fly in locations up to 13,000 feet (3,962 meters). Driven by an interest to deploy Datron Scout in high-altitude environments including Afghanistan, Iraq and South America, the newest capabilities evolved due to a custom propeller designed for maximum efficiency in thin-air locations. The new propellers employ a unique pitch and extended length that allow Datron Scout to operate in high altitudes with virtually no compromise to performance and mission life. Official testing of the new capability was conducted in the Rocky Mountains of North America in July 2011...
Read Full Press Release [PDF]

DATRON SCOUT MICRO UAV TECHNOLOGY SUPPORTS MILITARY INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE AND RECONNAISSANCE DURING EMPIRE CHALLENGE 2011
Datron Scout Showcased “Hover and Grab” Landing, 10X Optical Zoom Camera, and 2.4 kilometer (1.5 mile) Mission Reach in a Harsh Environment
San Diego, CA (June 15, 2011) - Datron Scout, a lightweight quad rotor Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) designed for air reconnaissance and surveillance in harsh environments, played an important role during the maritime-based portion of the recent Empire Challenge 2011 in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. As a part of this event, Datron Scout was responsible for the silent surveillance of points of interest -- and their movements -- detected by unattended ground sensors and airborne assets. The Datron Scout’s success in this demonstration was highlighted by...
Read Full Press Release [PDF]

Datron launches the Datron Scout vertical take off and landing (VTOL) Micro Air Vehicle
Featuring a small, rugged and light-weight design, the Datron Scout delivers highly intuitive and intelligent performance for commercial, government and military users worldwide
Vista, California, (July 25, 2010) - Datron launches the Datron Scout vertical take off and landing (VTOL) Micro Air Vehicle. Featuring a small, rugged and light-weight design, the Datron Scout delivers highly intuitive and intelligent performance for commercial, government and military users worldwide...
Read Full Press Release [PDF]

Ventana Research Awards Datron World Communications the “Overall Business Performance Leadership Award” for 2009
Annual awards recognize organizations that have most effectively delivered business success using people, process, information and technology best practices.
Vista, California, (January 18, 2009) - Datron World Communications, Inc., a leader in HF and VHF communication products and services, today announced receipt of the “Overall Business Performance Leadership Award” from Ventana Research...
Read Full Press Release [PDF]