Echodyne has been awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a $250 million ceiling supporting Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) operations.
The agreement supports the Joint Interagency Task Force 401’s Domestic Shield program and has an ordering period of up to 36 months. Under the agreement, Echodyne’s MESA radars will be available for procurement through the JIATF-401 C-UAS Marketplace for the United States and Allied Nations, supporting force protection, base defense and counter-drone operations in the United States and abroad.
Built on a software-defined metamaterials electronically scanned array architecture, MESA provides precise electronic beam steering within a compact, solid-state design. The architecture delivers high-fidelity radar data without the size, weight, power and cost traditionally associated with high-performance ESA radar, while supporting continued improvements through software as drone threats and operational requirements change.
For counter-UAS missions, Echodyne offers the EchoShield medium-range radar. The system provides persistent tracking 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 classify objects including fixed-wing and multirotor drones, while its low size, weight and power support fixed installations, rapid deployments and on-the-move operations.
U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, director of JIATF-401, said, “JIATF-401 is continuously working with industry partners to provide the counter-UAS capabilities needed to protect warfighters and installations. Our approach allows us to identify the right capabilities for specific operational requirements and rapidly deliver those capabilities to the warfighter.”
Eben Frankenberg, CEO of Echodyne, added, “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. MESA gives operators that precision in a radar they can deploy across missions and platforms. This contract creates a practical path to bring those capabilities to more of the forces and facilities that JIATF-401 supports.”
Echodyne supplies radars to defense companies, with its products integrated into hundreds of counter-UAS systems worldwide. The company recently opened an 86,350-square-foot manufacturing facility in Washington State capable of manufacturing more than 30,000 radars per year, strengthening its ability to meet growing demand.
