MELBOURNE, Australia, Aug. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- AIM Defence's Fractl:1 Tactical Directed Energy Laser has taken out first place at the international Counter Drone Sandbox in Canada netting a $1 million dollar prize.

Taking out the win cements AIM's position at the forefront of low cost and compact Tactical Counter-Drone Systems and comes just months after the Australian Government's $5.4m announcement to purchase a Fractl counter drone system for internal test and evaluation.

The Sandbox, conducted as part of the Canadian Armed Forces' Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS)' program, is designed to competitively evaluate state of the art counter drone technology across the globe. The program has run biannually for the last six years and is internationally regarded as an independent assessment of counter drone capabilities for both NATO and Five Eyes allies.

Reflecting the proliferation and growing concern of weaponised drones the 2024 Sandbox focused on the effective detection and defeat of quadcopter, FPV and fixed wing targets. AIM Defence was one of fifteen companies selected to show off their technology at the event with other participants including industry giants from Canada, the USA and the UK.

"We're extremely thankful to the Canadian Government for giving us this opportunity and to their red team who really put our system to the test with a range of drones that we'd never seen before from FPVs to fixed wings across a range of scenarios. It was a challenging event and we're proud to have come out on top," said AIM co-founder Ms Jessica Glenn.

The Fractl system uses in-house developed state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) tracking and ultra-compact laser technology and has integrated with US Space Force to safely engage above the horizon. During the event Fractl it was able to track and neutralize drones at up to 1.5 kilometres away, and successfully shot down over 30 targets during the exercise.

The Canadian evaluation team judged that the AIM Fractl system best met sandbox prize criteria for demonstrated performance, continuous improvement, and significant follow-on interest from the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces in AIM's Fractl CUAS approach.

"While we are immensely proud of our achievements to date, we're just getting started. We've seen a significant uptick in demand for effective counter drone technologies and plan to reinvest the winnings back into AIM so we can continue to develop best in class technology and protect our allies" said AIM co-founder Dr Jae Daniel.

For more information visit AIM Defence and the Canadian Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) Sandbox web page.