Blighter (www.blighter.com), a pioneering designer and manufacturer of ground-based electronic-scanning array (ESA) radars, has won a follow-on contract from an undisclosed Eastern European Army to supply its Blighter A800 Mk 2 4D multi-mode radars. The systems will protect vulnerable borders from ground incursions and hard-to-detect low-flying and one-way attack drones.

Army officials selected the Blighter A800 Mk2 4D radar due to its multi-mode functionality allowing simultaneous detection, classification and tracking of ground, sea, and air targets at ranges up to 20km. As with the previous contract, the A800 radars will be deployed to fixed locations along the country’s borders and integrated onto army reconnaissance vehicles.

According to Blighter, low-altitude drones present a major challenge for the military as their small size, low radar cross section (RCS), and ability to fly close to terrain make them difficult to detect with conventional air surveillance radars. Blighter radars overcome this using advanced Ku-Band sensing, ESA antennas, micro-Doppler signature analysis, and sophisticated clutter-suppression technologies.

James Long, Blighter’s CEO, said: “We are delighted to have secured a follow-on contract for our A800 multi-mode radars from this military customer. Our radars will provide 24/7 all-weather protection against ground incursions and the growing threat of low-altitude drones that have caused such devastation in recent conflicts.

“Our ground-based radars excel in detecting low’n’fast targets including first person view (FPV), fibre-optic and fixed wing drones up to 20km away. We are proud to be one of only a handful of companies offering a sub-US$1m radar that can detect targets at speeds up to Mach 1!”

This contract includes the supply of BlighterNexus software to ensure the radars are seamlessly integrated with the Army’s command-and-control (C2) networks, operator interfaces, and third-party sensors to deliver a unified display or common operating picture (COP) across multiple border regions.

The Blighter A800 Mk2 radar combines electronic beam scanning, next generation monopulse elevation measurement, and target classification using micro-Doppler signature analysis to offer unmatched situational awareness, all in a low size, weight & power (SWaP) format. The radar is also fitted with a Gigabit Ethernet interface for secure and encrypted data transfer.

Blighter radars have been successfully deployed for drone detection at UK and international airports, by the United States Air Force, by multi-national Forward-Operating-Bases (FOBs) in the Middle East, and for various government and military national Counter-UAS systems.

Blighter supports international systems integrators in creating layered, multi-sensor surveillance systems and supports localised manufacture. Over 800 radars have been deployed in more than 40 countries, making Blighter a trusted partner for surveillance projects among defence, homeland security, critical national infrastructure, and energy sectors worldwide.

The European fire safety industry is at a turning point. Digitalization, remote connectivity, and cybersecurity are converging to redefine how buildings are protected and maintained. Euralarm’s new White Paper on fire safety in a connected world covers integrating detection, remote services and cybersecurity. This white paper outlines how fire detection systems are transforming into intelligent, connected infrastructures — and what this means for service providers, building operators, and policymakers across.

Across the continent, false alarms remain a significant burden: studies such as Euralarm’s 2022 False Alarm Study show that in some countries the false fire alarm ratio of FDAS (Fire Detection and Alarm Systems) is over 85% Unnecessary activations disrupt business continuity, erode confidence in fire protection systems and potentially waste emergency resources. At the same time, climate change, energy efficiency targets, and a shrinking pool of skilled labour are reshaping building operations and maintenance practices.

Digital transformation offers powerful answers. Through smart connectivity, cloud-based monitoring, and data analytics, fire detection systems can now provide real-time insights, enabling remote diagnosis, predictive maintenance, and data-driven decision-making. These capabilities reduce downtime, improve safety, and support sustainability goals by cutting travel and optimizing resource use.

However, with connectivity comes a new responsibility: cybersecurity. As fire systems are more often connected via the internet, they must be protected from digital threats that could compromise safety or availability. Standards such as EN 50710:2021 (for remote services), CLC/TS 50136-10 (for Remote Access Infrastructure), IEC 62443 (for industrial OT cybersecurity), and ISO/IEC 27001 (for IT information security management) provide the framework for building and operating secure systems that are  designed to protect information, assets, and operations from unauthorized access, damage, or disruption. Such secure systems that follow Security by Design and Security by Default principles ensure that fire protection remains reliable, even in the connected era.

By integrating fire detection, remote services, and cybersecurity, European stakeholders can achieve safer, more resilient, and more sustainable buildings. Interconnected digital fire safety is already emerging as the new operating model and is expected to become standard practice across many new and modernised buildings during the second half of this decade, as connectivity, remote services and cybersecurity requirements become embedded in building operations and European regulatory frameworks. Those who act now will lead the market transformation, delivering smarter protection and stronger trust in the systems that safeguard lives and assets.

The Euralarm White Paper on fire safety in a connected world can be downloaded here.

Most environments are already covered by cameras. The real challenge in modern AI video surveillance is response time. Many incidents are not missed because they are invisible, but because they are noticed too late. Policy violations, unsafe behavior, or suspicious actions often unfold within seconds, and once they are discovered through review or manual checks, the opportunity to intervene has already passed.

Traditional AI alerts help reduce this gap, but only when scenarios fit predefined detection types. In real operations, risks are often more contextual. Policies vary by space, rules change over time, and many behaviors that matter cannot be easily expressed through fixed alert categories. This is where Think Alert becomes valuable.

What Think Alert is and how it fits into existing workflows

Think Alert is a generative AI–powered alert capability within VORTEX that allows users to describe what action or situation they want to detect using natural language. Built on visual language model (VLM) technology, it enables more flexible real-time video alerts while still defining where detection applies through familiar line or zone drawing—bringing this capability into the broader VORTEX AI video analytics platform.

To see why this matters in day-to-day operations, it helps to look at what Think Alert changes for teams in three practical ways.

• Act immediately to mitigate losses:
  Theft, accidents, and unauthorized access cost money and endanger people. Think Alert detects these situations in real time, so teams can respond immediately—before damage occurs and before incidents escalate.

• Set up in seconds, not hours:
  No manuals or training needed. After defining the detection area, simply use natural language to describe what you want to monitor and activate the alert in moments. No technical skills, no complex rule building, and no IT help required.

• Your alerts, your rules:
  Every person and team has different needs. Think Alert lets each user customize monitoring based on what matters most to them, instead of being limited to fixed, predefined alert rules.

A quick refresher – Think Search: Find What Happened, Faster

Before Think Alert, VORTEX introduced another VLM capability: Think Search. It uses visual language model technology to make investigation feel as simple as searching the web. Instead of scrubbing timelines or guessing which filters might work, users can type what they want to find in plain language, and the system surfaces relevant moments from recorded footage.

This matters because investigation is often where teams first discover patterns—recurring behaviors, repeat problem areas, or situations that consistently create risk. Think Search helps teams find those signals faster and with less effort.

Learn more about Think Search →

Elevating VORTEX from “what happened” to “stop it next time”

Once teams identify what keeps happening, the next question is always the same: how do we stop it earlier? That’s where Think Alert takes what teams learned during investigation and turns it into real-time monitoring. Instead of repeatedly searching for the same incidents after they occur, teams can go directly to the location that matters, define the detection area, describe the behavior, and receive alerts the moment it happens again.

This is what elevates VORTEX into a more complete video intelligence workflow. It supports both sides of the job: understanding the past with faster investigation, and protecting the future with proactive, real-time alerts.