Empowering the 1st Marine Division with Next-Gen Radar Capabilities
The 1st Marine Division located in Camp Pendleton, California is a multi-role, expeditionary ground combat force that provides amphibious forcible entry capability to the naval expeditionary force and conducts subsequent land operations in any environment. The Division hosts a series of high-quality training courses that equip Marines with highly specialized skills to build better leaders and more lethal and survivable warfighters.
For the past two years, Echodyne has supported the Small Unmanned Aerial System/Counter-Small UAS Integration course through hands-on training of its next-generation radar systems. During the course, Echodyne demonstrates how its low SWaP radar systems are highly adaptable, portable and expeditionary enabling units to integrate Counter-UAS solutions for ground maneuvers and operations requiring multi-domain coverage.
“Low SWaP radars are an invaluable component of our C-UAS training program to equip Marines with the ability to detect, track, and respond to emerging aerial threats. Modern, highly portable radars enhance our capability to teach layered defense concepts, multi-domain awareness, and rapid decision-making. Hands-on learning develops the technical proficiency required to integrate these critical radar systems into maneuver and force protection missions,” a 1st Marine Division Schools spokesperson said.
Echodyne provides classroom training on the value and role active sensors play in Counter-UAS operations and an overview of the Echodyne radar systems. The Echodyne team trains students in how to quickly deploy the radar systems and why its patented MESA technology delivers the most precise radar detection, tracking, and classification data in the market.
Students learn how to optimize Echodyne radar system’s ML powered classification system to their operational needs and how to seamlessly integrate the data across different sensor systems, C2, and other Counter-UAS systems used in a variety of missions. Echodyne’s small form factor, highly precise radars have transformed the 1st Marine Division's Counter-sUAS tactics, techniques, and procedures to equip all echelons of the force with decision advantage.
The training culminates in a field demonstration event where Echodyne integrates into a live military exercise to allow operators first-hand experience of UAS detection to enhance decision making capabilities and situational awareness for a variety of 1st MARDIV training mission sets including force protection operations, airfield seizures, joint logistics/refueling, maritime insertion, command-and-control scenarios and more.
Students have the chance to quickly utilize the radars and experience how the system’s high portability allow units to provide detection in depth and at maximum standoff from prominent force to protect assets and increase survivability.
“We are proud that our scalable, flexible and modular radars permit rapid employment and deployment by echelon to create maximum response time to incoming UAS threats, said Ross Douglas, Regional Sales Manager, Defense, at Echodyne. We look forward to continuing to support the 1st Marine Division’s C-UAS schools and exercises to ensure units can effectively deploy and adapt our radars to the fast-moving, complex battlefields of tomorrow.”