Concurrent with its showing at the Navy League Sea, Air and Space Exhibition in Washington DC this past week, IXI EW, LLC announced today that they have entered into a Product Development and a Licensing Agreement with T-Worx Holdings, LLC (www.tworx.com) based in Ashburn, Virginia.
The Product Development and Licensing Agreement provide for the integration of the IXI DRONEKILLER handheld counter UAS technology onto the T-Worx Intelligent Rail® (“I-Rail®”) system with its Rifle Operating System™. Developed under the US Army Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Program, the I-Rail provides both power and intelligent control of electronic devices when attached to an I-Rail integrated Picatinny Rail. Following an extensive competition, the I-Rail also became the NATO Powered Rail standard in 2015.
The current IXI DRONEKILLER is the only standalone handheld counter UAS device that employs software-defined radio technology to detect and affect class 1 and class 2 UAS (sUAS) devices without the use of broadband jamming. Because the DRONEKILLER does not employ broadband jamming, once a sUAS is detected by the DRONEKILLER, it can affect the sUAS with low power signal transmissions. All DRONEKILLER signals are pre-programmed and can be updated in the field by the user.
The Development Agreement encompasses the redesign of the IXI DRONEKILLER into a small, lightweight, and low power consumption assembly that attaches to the I-Rail. This integration reduces the Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP Reduction) of the current system by more than 50% – to just over two pounds. Integrating the DRONEKILLER onto the I-Rail gives soldiers counter sUAS capabilities without the burden of carrying a separate, heavier device.
The combination of these technologies will allow the user to detect, transmit, network and communicate within one application – no other device in the world comes close to these capabilities. “This new, low SWaP device, will be a welcome addition to our electronic warfare product line,” stated Michael Carter, President and CEO of IXI EW. This new technology will be encapsulated within a smaller package, providing a broad range of capabilities in conjunction with the T-Worx I-Rail and Rifle Operating System. We anticipate the new product will be ready for production by the end of 2018.”
The T-Worx engineering team responsible for the I-Rail development will lead the DRONEKILLER integration efforts, headed by Chief Engineer Ben Feldman. “We are very excited to sign this development and license agreement with IXI Technology further proving the benefits of our I-Rail system and its broad applicability in the small arms sector. Our technology is platform agnostic and we continue to evolve into the “go to” power and data platform for weapons and electronic accessory manufacturers around the world. The integrated DRONEKILLER product has tremendous potential and its capabilities will be maximized with this integration,” stated Don McLaughlin, T-Worx President.
IXI EW is based in Yorba Linda, California and has been serving the US government and its agencies for over 30 years as a mission-critical supplier of embedded electronic systems and software. IXI operates as a service disabled veteran-owned small business.
About T-Worx Holdings, LLC: Located in Ashburn, Va., T-Worx Holdings, LLC is a product innovation company that makes weapons intelligent. Founded in 2010 to commercialize intellectual property and develop products, the company has been focused on innovations in the tactical weapon industry with the company’s flagship product, the Intelligent Rail®.