UK AI-enhanced security and surveillance specialist MARSS announced at the IDEX 2025 defence exhibition in Abu Dhabi on 19 February that it has successfully handed over NiDAR 4D-powered protection systems at two major naval bases in the Middle East.
NiDAR 4D is the company’s latest modular command, control, communications and computing (C4) integration platform that features a multi-layered approach and standardised ontology across the four domains of air, land, surface and subsurface. Powered by MARSS’ proprietary ‘Hybrid Intelligence (HI)’ approach, the system fuses a collection of sensors together to create a highly accurate, real-time operational picture to detect and neutralise any threat or safety incident.
While MARSS declined to name its clients, the bases are known to multiple countries within the Gulf Co-operation Council group of nations (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates). The company did note, however, that the projects, which have been ongoing for the last few years, were completed in early 2025 and represent a contract value exceeding USD 50 million (EUR 47.8 million).
“Powered by AI-driven threat analysis, NiDAR 4D autonomously classifies and prioritises risks, enabling operators to focus on the most immediate threats, while automated response recommendations suggest optimal countermeasures based on real-time intelligence,” the company explained in a press release. “Combined, these systems dramatically shorten the detect-to-defeat chain, while reducing operator workload, minimising fatigue and maximising efficiency.”
Speaking to ESD at IDEX 2025 on the day before the announcement, MARSS Director of Operations Robbie Draper explained that, in terms of the company’s overall work on bases in the GCC region, “Some of them are completely operational now, but the next phase will be finished by mid-2025.
“But that’s just the one part of it,” he added. “MARSS is also involved with the support element that looks to support the client in everything from maintenance, preventative maintenance, proactive maintenance and indeed advising on best practice and focusing on training and training methods, how best we can train the force [that uses the system].”
MARSS Chief Growth Officer Rob Balloch explained to ESD at IDEX 2025 that a key part of the company’s ability to rapidly integrate numerous different sensors within its NiDAR platform was effectively through a Parzen Window density estimation technique. Through this the company builds models and trains them to facilitate integration, with the result that, when a new sensor needs to be integrated, up to 90% of the required work has already been done.
