DJI stops production of AeroScope - the system was used by the russian army to track Ukrainian drones

Chinese company DJI has announced the discontinuation of its drone detection, identification and tracking system. The platform is called the DJI AeroScope.

Here's What We Know

DJI AeroScope is a complete solution for identifying and tracking drones using signals transmitted by the drones. The platform makes it possible to determine the flight path of a quadcopter, as well as track the coordinates of both the drone itself and the operator.

In early 2022, following Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Chinese company announced that it would stop supplying quadcopters to Russia and Ukraine. Despite this, the manufacturer has not blocked Russians from using the DJI AeroScope. As a result, the Russian military was able to track quadcopters of the Ukrainian Armed Forces without any problems.

The discontinuation of the AeroScope was announced on the Chinese company's official website. DJI writes that the platform is no longer in production, but there is no information on whether the already manufactured AeroScope systems will continue to be sold.

Brendan Schulman, a former vice president of the Chinese company, recalled that the AeroScope was created for the security interests of the United States. Therefore, there is no point for DJI to develop AeroScope because of the ongoing sanctions.

A second possible reason is the Remote ID system being implemented by the Federal Aviation Administration (FCC). It will allow tracking most UAVs in the country's airspace and without AeroScope.

Source: The Verge