Counter-drone defense is becoming a bigger priority for military forces, and Echodyne has just secured a significant path to put more of its radar technology into those missions.
The radar technology company announced an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract supporting the Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401) Domestic Shield program. The agreement has a ceiling of $250 million and an ordering period of up to 36 months.
The deal doesn’t mean Echodyne has received $250 million upfront. Instead, it gives the US government a contracting vehicle through which it can order qualifying counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) capabilities as specific requirements arise.
Echodyne’s MESA radars will be available through JIATF-401’s C-UAS Marketplace, giving US and allied forces another way to procure the company’s technology for force protection, base defense and counter-drone operations both domestically and overseas.
At the heart of Echodyne’s radar lineup is MESA, short for Metamaterials Electronically Scanned Array. The software-defined architecture electronically steers radar beams while using a compact solid-state design. The goal is to deliver the kind of detailed tracking traditionally associated with larger electronically scanned array radars without the same size, weight, power, and cost demands.
For counter-drone operations, that combination can be particularly useful. Operators need to detect small aircraft, maintain accurate tracks, and pass reliable information to systems that can respond.
Echodyne’s EchoShield radar is designed specifically for that job. The medium-range system provides persistent tracks with a 10 Hz update rate and angular accuracy of less than 0.5 degrees in both azimuth and elevation. AI and machine-learning models can also classify objects, including fixed-wing and multirotor drones.
Its relatively small size and low power requirements allow EchoShield to be deployed in different ways, from permanent installations and rapidly deployed sites to mobile operations.
“Counter-drone defense depends on knowing precisely where a threat is, maintaining that track and rapidly getting useful data to the systems that can respond,” Echodyne CEO Eben Frankenberg said.
The contract also arrives as Echodyne expands its ability to manufacture the technology at scale. The company recently opened an 86,350-square-foot manufacturing facility in Washington State capable of producing more than 30,000 radars annually.
With the new contract, that production capacity could become increasingly important as military and security organizations look for counter-drone systems that can be deployed across a wider range of missions.
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