UK company built AI optical system that tracks drones on the move
AI Analysis
OpenWorks Engineering (UK) has developed 'Vision Pace,' an AI-powered optical tracking system designed for mobile counter-UAS operations. The system utilizes direct-drive positioning and AI stabilization to maintain accurate tracking of drones while on the move, and has been integrated with a ThinKom microwave weapon on a Turkish Nomad 4x4 vehicle. This integration represents a significant step towards mobile, rapid-response counter-drone capabilities.
Key Takeaways
- Vision Pace weighs 70kg and achieves 180-degree tracking in under one second.
- The system integrates with standard military interfaces like SAPIENT and ATAK for seamless data sharing.
- Vision Pace employs a direct-drive positioner and AI-powered stabilization to overcome tracking challenges posed by vehicle movement.
- The system is currently integrated with ThinKom Solutions’ Alecto high-power microwave counter-drone weapon.
- The integrated system is mounted on the Turkish Nomad 4x4 armored vehicle.
Why It Matters
The ability to effectively counter drones while mobile is a critical capability gap in modern warfare. This system addresses this gap by providing accurate, on-the-move targeting data, enabling rapid engagement of aerial threats without requiring vehicles to halt. The combination of UK, US, and Turkish components suggests growing international collaboration in counter-UAS technology.
UK company built AI optical system that tracks drones on the move
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UK company built AI optical system that tracks drones on the move
May 29, 2026
Modified date: May 29, 2026
Key Points
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- OpenWorks Engineering's Vision Pace on-the-move counter-drone targeting system weighs 70 kg (154 lb) and completes 180-degree tracking in under one second using AI-powered stabilization and direct-drive positioning.
- Vision Pace has been integrated with ThinKom Solutions' Alecto high-power microwave counter-drone weapon and mounted on the Turkish Nomad 4x4 armored vehicle for mobile counter-UAS operations.
Shooting down a drone while your vehicle is moving at speed over rough terrain is one of the hardest problems in modern counter-drone defense, and it is also one of the most urgent. A British engineering company has built a system that addresses it, and that system has now been integrated into an American microwave weapon and mounted on a Turkish armored vehicle, creating a mobile counter-drone platform that can hunt and kill aerial threats without stopping.
OpenWorks Engineering, a UK-based specialist in autonomous counter-drone systems, has announced the Vision Pace as its latest product in the field of on-the-move detection, tracking, identification, and targeting. The system weighs approximately 70 kilograms (154 pounds) in its standard configuration, uses a direct-drive low-friction positioner with AI-powered stabilization to maintain microradian-level pointing accuracy even on a moving platform, and can complete 180 degrees of rotation and automatically lock onto a dynamic aerial threat in under one second. It integrates with standard interfaces including SAPIENT and ATAK, meaning it can feed targeting data directly into existing military command and control networks without requiring custom software integration.
The core engineering challenge that Vision Pace solves is stabilization. Conventional optical systems mounted on vehicles are limited in their ability to track small, fast-moving aerial targets because road vibration, vehicle acceleration, and terrain-induced motion all introduce pointing errors that accumulate quickly enough to break a tracking solution before an engagement can be completed. Vision Pace addresses this with a direct-drive positioner, meaning the optics are moved by electric motors acting directly on the mechanism rather than through gears or belts that introduce play and compliance into the system. Combined with AI-powered stabilization algorithms derived from OpenWorks’ Vision Flex product family, which has been deployed in operational counter-drone roles, the result is a platform that can maintain continuous tracking against a moving target while the host vehicle is itself moving.
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The AI classification and tracking capability built into Vision Pace draws on the same machine learning architecture that OpenWorks has developed across its