Echodyne Enables High UAS Hit Rate at Red Sands 2025
Dillon Aero M134D weapon team engaging drones using Echodyne radar data callouts.
Echodyne directly participated in the fourth iteration of the Red Sands Integrated Experimentation Center exercise in Saudia Arabia Sept. 7-18, 2025. U.S. Army Central (ARCENT) and the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces led Red Sands 2025, a forum to test and field counter-unmanned aerial systems (UAS) systems, implement best practices, and increase interoperability between systems. The multi-day exercise aimed to develop shared tactics and strengthen relationships in the region to combat the shared security challenges and threats from UAS. Red Sands 2025 was the Middle East’s largest live-fire Counter-UAS exercise focused on improving the detection, tracking and elimination of modern drone threats and testing Counter-UAS technologies in real world conditions.
This year Echodyne radar systems were directly integrated through a Base Defense Operations Center (BDOC) which tested and developed joint and combined tactics, techniques, and procedures for identifying and destroying threat UAS. This is only the second time a combined BDOC was used at Red Sands.
Echodyne’s long-range low SWAP, COTS radar, EchoShield, detected hundreds of Group 2 and 3 as well as the smaller Group 1 aerial threats throughout the exercise. When the aerial threats began moving towards the weapons system, the Echodyne team called out the precise location, range, speed, altitude and additional data every 100 meters to rapidly cue the gunners and enable Dillon Aero’s M134D weapon team to defeat the incoming drone threats. Echodyne’s ability to provide track continuity on UAS threats enabled the Dillon Aero team to defeat 100% of a UAS swarm consisting of 9 Class 1 drones.
“EchoShield’s radar data allowed our team to rapidly understand where the threats were coming from and get our bearings quickly, so we only needed to focus on pointing at and defeating drones. This is the level of radar data precision needed to execute a high hit rate and protect our warfighters. I look forward to our future collaboration with Echodyne on our .50 Cal Gatling Gun C-UAS Solution,“ said Brian Fuller, VP of Business Development at Dillon Aero.
Echodyne’s Adam Belmonte calls out EchoShield radar data to enable precise target engagement.
Increasing interoperability between Counter-UAS systems was a main focus of Red Sands 2025. The ability to counter UAS threat depends on integrating weapon systems, sensor data, and weapon systems into a layered and tiered air and missile defense system. Echodyne’s software-defined radars maintain an open architecture design and easily integrate with other sensors and C2 systems. In addition to verbally calling out the radar data to the manned weapon team, EchoShield’s data was pushed to FAAD and integrated with the MARSS NiDAR system to slew and clue the optics.
Echodyne radar systems patented metamaterials electronically scanned array (MESA®) design allowed for rapid agility and adjustment to support evolving mission sets during the exercise. This type of agility and flexibility enabled the BDOC to continue to test concepts and improve interoperability which provided more decision-space for senior leaders and maintained ready and responsive forces to address unpredictable and free-thinking adversaries.
“Echodyne is proud to directly support the BDOC at Red Sands 2025 this year and help build an effective defense against emerging UAS threats across the region. Countering emerging threats from UAS requires an innovative and cooperative solution and Echodyne is committed to delivering reliable precision radar data and remaining agile to adjust to the warfighter’s needs,” said Jeff Phillips, VP DOD/IC at Echodyne.