Echodyne, the radar platform company, today announced an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract supporting the Joint Interagency Task Force 401’s (JIATF-401) Domestic Shield program. The agreement has a $250 million ceiling and an ordering period of up to 36 months, providing a path to acquire counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) capabilities for force protection, base defense and counter-drone operations in the United States and abroad. As part of the agreement, Echodyne’s advanced MESA radars will be available for procurement on JIATF-401’s C-UAS Marketplace for U.S. and Allied Nations.
At the center of Echodyne’s radar portfolio is MESA, its software-defined metamaterials electronically scanned array architecture. MESA combines precise electronic beam steering with a compact, solid-state design, delivering high-fidelity radar data without the size, weight, power and cost traditionally associated with high-performance ESA radar. Its architecture supports continuous improvement through software as drone threats and operational requirements change.
EchoShield® brings those advantages to demanding C-UAS missions. The medium-range radar delivers persistent, high-quality tracks at a10 Hz update rate and angular accuracy of less than 0.5 degrees in both azimuth and elevation. Advanced AI and machine-learning models classify objects, including fixed-wing and multirotor drones, helping operators and connected systems distinguish threats and act on reliable track data. EchoShield’s low size, weight and power create a deployment-agnostic radar, supporting fixed installations, rapid deployments and on-the-move operations, with the same market-leading performance for every mission.
"JIATF-401 is continuously working with industry partners to provide the counter-UAS capabilities needed to protect warfighters and installations," said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, director ofJIATF-401. "Our approach allows us to identify the right capabilities for specific operational requirements and rapidly deliver those capabilities to the warfighter."
“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,” said Eben Frankenberg, CEO of Echodyne. “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 leading defense companies, and its products are integrated into hundreds of C-UAS systems around the world, many of which can also be found on the CUAS Marketplace. The company recently opened an 86,350-square-foot manufacturing facility in Washington State capable of manufacturing more than 30,000 radars per year. That investment strengthens Echodyne’s ability to meet growing demand for highly capable, commercially priced, readily available radar at scale.
