Ontario-headquartered Allen-Vanguard announced on 21 November 2023 the production of its 500th Scorpion manportable electronic countermeasures (ECM) system.
The company started producing the latest generation of the Scorpion manpack ECM system in 2019 following almost two decades of producing such systems.
The system is designed for more mobile ECM applications such as protection for troops deployed on the ground or for specialist explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams to provide local protection for an operator approaching a suspect device. Most recently it has been effectively deployed in a counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) role.
The system is stated by Allen-Vanguard to be “a highly versatile and lightweight manportable system that capitalises on a wealth of operational feedback and Allen-Vanguard’s extensive experience in providing highly effective ECM protection from radio-controlled improvised explosive devices (RCIED) and the growing prominence of unmanned aerial vehicles/systems (UAVs/UASs), aka drones.”
Scorpion is currently deployed to protect troops, non-government organisations (NGOs) and government agencies on every continent worldwide.
“With its flexible, modular architecture and wide range of power options, antenna configurations and carriage systems it is suitable for a myriad of protection tasks,” Allen-Vanguard states. “It delivers a hybrid, full-spectrum system with extensive threat-band coverage, which means it has superior usability, combined with advanced technologies, [to provide] the most powerful response to present and future RCIED and drone threats.”
The threat from RCIEDs and UAVs remains extremely high in many historic conflict regions as well as new conflicts zones emerging worlfwide. This, combined with the ever-evolving nature of both conventional and asymmetric warfare, has led Allen-Vanguard to place a significant focus on research and development to ensure its customers receive the best possible protection, the company states.
“The Allen-Vanguard Threat Management Team work tirelessly analysing new waveforms captured by operational systems to update and optimise algorithms specific for each user’s needs and to combat threats specific to the region of operations,” the company stressed in its press release. “In parallel, the development team are working incredibly hard on the next generation of Allen-Vanguard systems, which includes Remote Radio Head, Equinox NG-X, and Scorpion-NG. Each of these systems will be the cornerstone capability … man-portable, vehicle and advanced future vehicle capabilities for years to come.”
Bobby Strawbridge, director of business development for Allen-Vanguard, was quoted by the company as saying, “I am delighted that we have reached this significant milestone for Scorpion. It is the ultimate versatile ECM protection, packed with all our years of experience and expertise in defeating the RF threat in a manpack form to maximise its flexibility and utility. Whether in a dismounted role, on EOD operations or vehicle mounted for patrol protection or even at a static location countering radio-controlled IEDs or nefarious drones, Scorpion is helping to protect those who face the greatest danger all over the world.”
