ANGOKA to position cyber security to the fore of the future of flight at Belfast’ first drone summit

  • Cyber security startup ANGOKA which specialises in securing the safe passage of remote and automated road transport vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) will conduct the demonstration live at an advanced air mobility and cyber security summit on November 9 in KPMG’s Belfast office.

    The tech firm is believed to be the first on the island of Ireland to demonstrate a real-life cyber-attack on drones. 

    ANGOKA Chief Technology Officer Shadi Razak says the summit is like no other ever seen in the tech sector here.

    Shadi said: “The ANGOKA Drone Event is an exclusive one-day conference of the world’s leading experts on advancements in air mobility and connected societies,” he says. “We will also be publishing the findings of a three year study on the threat landscape which drones and UAVs will have to safely navigate. The demonstration is to illustrate this landscape and how we can mitigate for all eventualities using ANGOKA’s secure communication technology and help us better understand the future of secure and remotely controlled air transport.”

    RELATED: ANGOKA in central role to bring air corridors to UK

    Mr Razak says his company’s role ensuring the accuracy and security of the communications between devices is central to the successful, safe and secure operation of automated, teleoperated and UAVs.

    He added: “We are moving faster than ever towards the commercialization of automated flight across many sectors ranging from search and rescue to logistics and traffic management.”

    The summit is particularly significant for Northern Ireland’s aviation supply chain which is worth an estimated £1.5bn to the economy. Invest NI and KPMG representatives advising the aviation sector will explore their forecasts for the future of the sector at the summit.

    Speakers include a stellar cast from the world’s leading advanced air mobility and cyber security sectors. Kieran Arnold, the chief architect at Future Networks and Systems will be joined by Dave Pankhurst, director of drones at BT, Laura O’Neill, digital transformation manager at Belfast Harbour, Gokhan Celik CEO of A-TechSYN, Craig Wilson, Programme Manager at Altitude Angel, Dr Saba Al Rubaye, Head of Advanced Connectivity and System Integration at Cranfield University, and Paul Malcolmson, Regional Manager for Northern Ireland at Innovate UK.

    RELATED: Belfast cybersecurity firm makes the finals of KPMG Global Tech Innovator Awards

    ANGOKA has a proven record of creating impenetrable security systems to protect driverless road vehicles and UAVs. In March this year, two commercial vehicles controlled by a remote operator in Oxford travelled on open roads throughout Oxford and London City. During the journey they were repeatedly subjected to hacking attempts all of which were unsuccessful due to the fitted ANGOKA cyber security system.

    The Belfast firm has partnered with a number of projects in the UK Research and Innovation’s Future Flight Challenge including Skyway in which air traffic corridors in the south of England have been designated for drones and unmanned aircraft. ANGOKA supplies the Future- Proof security for automated, teleoperated and unmanned aircraft using these corridors. 

    You can find out more here.

    Source: Written from press release.

    About the author

    Aoife is a Sync NI writer with a previous background working in print, online and broadcast media. She has a keen interest in all things tech related. To connect with Aoife feel free to send her an email or connect on LinkedIn.

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