Table of Contents
⚠ Disclaimer: This entry may be incomplete, out of date, or inaccurate. It is AI-maintained on a best-effort basis. Do not rely on it as a sole source — verify claims independently using the sources listed below.
Summary
Advanced Protection Systems (APS), based in Gdynia, Poland, designs its counter-drone radar hardware entirely in-house, centered on the FIELDctrl family of 3D MIMO radars purpose-built for detecting, tracking, and classifying Low-Slow-Small (LSS) targets — the drone category that conventional air-surveillance radar struggles with. Unlike several other companies in this subtopic, APS markets MIMO radar as a finished, fielded C-UAS product rather than a research platform or embedded chip, with deployments reported including Ivorian Special Forces.
Key Facts
- HQ: Gdynia, Poland
- Type: Company — in-house designed 3D MIMO radar hardware for C-UAS, perimeter security, and VSHORAD
- Founders: Dr. Maciej Klemm and Dr. Radosław Piesiewicz
- Product family (FIELDctrl):
- FIELDctrl Access — smallest/most affordable VSHORAD 3D radar tier
- FIELDctrl Advance — adds MIMO, multi-hypothesis tracking (MHT), and micro-Doppler classification; 90° azimuth, 60° elevation, 4 Hz refresh
- FIELDctrl Range — detects nano-UAV from 6 km out to helicopters at 15 km; positioned for ECM/C-UAS, perimeter security, and high-precision VSHORAD
- FIELDctrl Ultra — most advanced tier, for airports, borders, and strategic-facility protection requiring maximum detection range
- Classification: AI/ML-based automatic classification distinguishes drones from birds; stated microdrone detection beyond 6 km
- Reported deployment: Supplied to Ivorian Special Forces (2022); marketed to military, security, and critical-infrastructure customers internationally
How It Works
FIELDctrl radars use a MIMO antenna architecture — multiple transmit elements each broadcasting a distinguishable waveform, received across multiple receive elements — to synthesize a virtual aperture larger than the physical array, giving 3D (and for some tiers, higher-refresh 4D-like) target imaging without the bulk of a mechanically-scanned radar. On top of the MIMO-derived 3D track, APS layers micro-Doppler classification (see Micro-Doppler Radar) and multi-hypothesis tracking to discriminate drones from birds and clutter and maintain track continuity across multiple simultaneous targets. The four-tier product structure lets APS address everything from short-range perimeter protection to long-range airport/border surveillance from a common underlying MIMO radar architecture, scaling antenna size, transmit power, and processing rather than changing the core technique.
Notable Developments
- 2022-07: APS reported supplying a FIELDctrl 3D MIMO C-UAS solution to Ivorian Special Forces
- MSPO defense expo (Poland): “FIELDctrl Follow” 3D MIMO radar premiered, described in trade coverage as “a new dimension of drone combat” — suggesting an on-the-move or tracking-optimized variant beyond the four core tiers
- No confirmed 2026-specific product launch or contract was found in this review beyond the general FIELDctrl family description; verify current-year developments against APS’s own newsroom before citing as recent
Limitations
- Company-published specifications: Detection ranges, refresh rates, and classification accuracy figures in “Key Facts” derive from APS marketing material; independent test data was not found in this review
- Smaller company, less independent press coverage: Compared to DroneShield, Dedrone, or Fortem elsewhere in this section, APS has comparatively thin independent (non-company, non-trade-show) reporting — treat deployment and performance claims as vendor-stated pending further corroboration
- MIMO-specific technical detail is limited: Public material confirms “3D MIMO” branding and general architecture but does not disclose antenna element counts, exact frequency band, or waveform design in detail