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Mehler Protection Unveils Active Close-Range Counter-UAV System for Ships at SMM 2026

Tuesday, September 1st, 2026

KÖNIGSLUTTER, GERMANY (1 September 2026)

At SMM 2026, Mehler Protection is set to unveil SCILT NAVAL, a new active counter-UAV system developed specifically to protect ships from close-range threats.

The threat posed by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is evolving: Recent conflicts have demonstrated that even heavily armed warships can be vulnerable to small, low-cost drone systems deployed in large numbers. While modern naval forces have powerful air defence systems capable of engaging threats at long range, significant challenges remain when it comes to close- and very-close-range protection. This is particularly true in ports, when navigating confined waterways such as canals, during amphibious operations, aboard landing craft and at fixed maritime installations.

SCILT was developed specifically for this immediate threat zone, where large-scale air defence systems and formation-level counter-UAV solutions may no longer able to respond effectively.

It serves as an active last line of defence for individual vessels, bridging the gap between passive protection and large-scale air defence. The system is designed to counter small UAVs, including FPV drones, one-way attack systems and loitering munitions, and can engage both individual threats and multiple simultaneous attacks at close range.

Effectors, sensors and operating controls are integrated directly on board. The sensor suite includes electro-optical systems and additional close-range sensors for threat detection and to support operational decision-making. In its initial configuration, the system operates with a human in the loop. Further automation is planned as certification requirements and operational procedures permit.

The system uses three alert levels – detection, approach and engagement – and utilises commercially available shotgun calibres as effectors. Compared with the land-based version,

SCILT NAVAL offers a greater effective range and automatic reloading. Its effectors run the gamut from fragmentation to armour-piercing variants.

SCILT can be integrated into existing C2 and sensor systems. Where no suitable interface is available, the system can also operate autonomously using its own detection and engagement chain. Additional control and display units can be installed at multiple locations inside the vessel, giving the crew access to situational information and system controls where required.

SCILT has been developed over a period of approximately 18 months. A series of 48 tests examined factors including external and terminal ballistics, firing safety and fragment distribution, along with maritime environmental effects such as salt spray, corrosion, vibrations and wave impact. The results were used to determine the optimum effective range and effector configuration.

SCILT expands Mehler Protection’s existing portfolio of platform armour solutions for land, air and sea. The company provides protection solutions for helicopters, land vehicles and naval systems and is a key supplier to several German Navy vessels currently under construction.

Further information on Mehler Protection’s platform armour solutions: mehler-protection.com/platform-armour

Posted in C-UAS, International, Maritime, Press Release | No Comments »

‘Final Denial’: Air Force Leaders Lean in to the Future of Drone Defense

Thursday, August 27th, 2026

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. — The 31st Air Task Force sharpened and refined a layered counter-small unmanned aerial system defense capability, culminating in a kinetic “final denial” live-fire demonstration, August 3-7, 2026.

The week-long training event built on counter-sUAS initiatives first employed during the ATF’s February field exercise and increased knowledge among Airmen from Hurlburt Field and Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, assigned to the 31st ATF.

“Through a crawl, walk, run approach, Airmen gained practical knowledge of a full spectrum of layered counter-sUAS capabilities,” said the 31st ATF’s force protection superintendent. “The ATF is posturing to provide tiered defense through detection, electronic warfare defeat, and physical interception of hostile drones.”

Throughout the week, Airmen trained on AI-powered systems that detect, track, and filter aerial objects from planes and drones to birds. They also improved real-time data sharing across multiple levels of command and control from an expeditionary base defense operations center.

The 31st ATF hosted leaders from Air Force Special Operations Command and the 1st Special Operations Wing, joining experts on drone warfare, precision munitions, and unmanned threat detection and mitigation. They explored the latest ways to protect the warfighter and counter emergent UAS threats.

“It’s inspiring to see a unit at this level proactively tackling a problem-set that is top of mind for leaders across the Air Force and the Department of War,” said 1st SOW Deputy Commander, Col. Clayton Schuety. “The blend of entrepreneurial foresight, AI surveillance, and human-directed targeting will no doubt create positive impacts for the warfighter. We look forward to seeing how this effort continues to mature and receiving the lessons learned which will benefit Air Commandos and the larger force.”

By teaming with top industry partners and using existing Air Force equipment, the 31st ATF trained Airmen on weapons designed to defend against hostile drones and safeguard against electromagnetic warfare threats. Airmen practiced organic reconnaissance and denial of high-speed sUAS targets mimicking hostile flight patterns.

“The team successfully executed a capstone event that validated new tactics, techniques, and procedures across force protection and distributed communications,” said 31st ATF commander, Col. Brad Dvorak. “Our mission is to enable airpower operations, anytime, anywhere. By establishing a sUAS instructor cadre, we trained our personnel on counter-sUAS architecture and employed unique solutions for Airmen to track, jam, and kinetically defeat sUAS threats.”

The 31st ATF is a combat-ready unit of action bringing competitive advantage to meet pacing challenges. The wing, commanded by an Air Force colonel, consists of a command-and-control element and a combat air base squadron with up to 2,500 Airmen across more than 60 Air Force specialty codes. The team can provide base operating support for deployed flying units, also known as mission generation force elements, and the necessary logistics to execute agile combat employment.

Story by 2nd Lt Daniel White

Air Force Special Operations Command

Posted in Air Force, C-UAS, Guest Post | No Comments »

Denmark Selects Terma to Deliver Nationwide Counter-Drone Defense System

Thursday, August 20th, 2026

Terma will deliver a sovereign, integrated counter-drone defense system that connects existing and future sensors into one shared drone situational picture. With AI-supported processing of sensor data, the system will give the Danish Armed Forces and other authorities a stronger foundation to detect, understand and act on drone threats in real time.

Per Pugholm Olsen, Head of DALO (Left) and Terma CEO Henriette Hallberg (Right)

Lystrup, Denmark – 19 August 2026 – The Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO) has entered into an agreement with Terma for the delivery of a new, integrated command-and-control system for counter-drone defense. The system will create a shared drone situational picture for the Danish Armed Forces and other authorities.

“I am pleased to sign this agreement, which will strengthen Denmark’s ability to maintain an up-to date drone situational picture. This new agreement with Terma is an important cornerstone in the ongoing effort to build a strong counter-drone capability, both within the Danish Armed Forces and Danish industry,” says Lieutenant General Per Pugholm Olsen, Chief of DALO.

From individual sensors to a shared drone situational picture

Denmark already operates sensors across the Armed Forces, civilian authorities and critical infrastructure, but today the information remains in separate systems and at different locations. The solution is built on Terma Helion, Terma’s sovereign multi-domain data backbone. Helion connects existing and future sensors and brings their data together into one shared drone situational picture. The platform integrates distributed systems and transforms large volumes of data into information that supports tactical decision-making at both local and central levels.

“In a security environment where drones represent a persistent and growing threat, the ability to detect, classify and act on threats across domains is fundamental to national security,” says Henriette H. Thygesen, CEO of Terma. “The ability to connect sensors, process data and turn information into timely decision support is essential to effective counter-drone defense. By creating a shared drone situational picture, we give the Danish Armed Forces and other authorities a strong foundation to act faster and with greater confidence. We are proud of the trust Denmark has placed in Terma. It confirms our ability to deliver mission-critical defense solutions that strengthen security in Denmark and across Europe.”

The solution also integrates OSL Technology’s FACE® platform for command and control and data fusion. OSL Technology became part of Terma in 2025. FACE brings together and processes data from Terma’s radar and surveillance technologies as well as third-party sensors and countermeasures. AI supports the processing, classification and prioritization of sensor data, enabling operators to rapidly identify and act on relevant incidents.

The solution builds on OSL Technology’s operational experience from complex civilian and military environments. Since 2019, OSL has been the prime contractor and system integrator for Heathrow Airport’s counter-drone system and also delivers counter-drone systems to the Ørland and Evenes air bases under a multi-year framework agreement with the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (FMA). Combined with Terma’s radar, surveillance and multi-domain capabilities, this creates a market-leading, open and modular counter-drone solution.

National control and flexibility for future threats

The solution will ensure national control over operational sensor data while enabling technologies from multiple suppliers to be integrated. It will be delivered in cooperation with other Danish industry partners and draw on expertise from across the Danish defense industry.

The scalable architecture allows sensors, sites, countermeasures and other capabilities to be continuously added over time. The solution can therefore support the management of drone incidents at military installations, airports, ports, energy facilities, government buildings and other critical infrastructure.

Facts

Together, the technologies enable authorities to:

Detect, classify and track drone activity
Fuse and prioritize sensor data using AI
Maintain a shared drone situational picture
Coordinate decisions and actions at Danish Armed Forces locations
Integrate new sensors and countermeasures as threats evolve

Posted in C-UAS, Contracts, International, Press Release | No Comments »

EOTECH Launches New CUAS Holographic Weapon Sights

Monday, August 10th, 2026

Plymouth, MI (August 2026) – The battlefield is everchanging. Today, small, low-cost drones are proliferating across the world, posing significant threats to military installations, personnel, and critical infrastructures. To combat this aerial threat, EOTECH is proud to announce the development of the HWS CUAS.

The Counter Unmanned Aircraft Sight (CUAS) provides the individual soldier with advanced capabilities to immobilize drones. Available in both the EXPS3 and XPS3 models, the HWS CUAS includes a sophisticated aiming reticle that enables rapid engagement of both stationary and moving drones.

Used for stationary drones, the reticle consists of a primary aiming dot with fractured outer circles to enhance target acquisition. Additional lead references provide intuitive holds for crossing targets at varying distances. Assuming a 30-mph drone crossing at a 90-degree path, the user would simply position the inner left or right dot on drones at 50m out and use the outer chevrons to engage drones at 90m out.

“Holography is essential when designing large pattern reticles. The CUAS reticle is achieved through complex and often expensive unconventional optics to correct for parallax error and other aberrations.” Said Todd Estes, VP of Engineering for EOTECH. “The holographic solution ensures that all the potential aiming points stay in focus at the target position regardless of the size and shape of the reticle. Holographic optical elements provide a wider field of view and unrecognizable parallax compared to conventional lenses.”

The EXPS3 model offers side buttons that are useful when using night-vision systems or magnifiers. It is equipped with an adjustable, lockable quick-detach lever for easy attachment and removal. The EXPS3 model also provides lower 1/3 co-witness with iron sights. The XPS3 version offers true co-witness height, rear buttons, and a 7/64 hex crossbolt for a more permanent mounting solution.

EOTECH HWS CUAS Specifications:

L x W x H:

3.8″ x 2.3″ x 2.6″ (96.5 x 58.4 x 65 mm) (EXPS3)

3.8” x 2.1” x 2.5” (96.5 x 53.3 x 64mm) (XPS3)

Weight:

11.2 oz (317.5 g) (EXPS3)

9.0 oz (255 g) (XPS3)

Water Resistant:

33ft (10m) depth (NV)

Mount:

1″ Weaver or MIL-STD-1913 rail

Zero Adjustments:

0.5 MOA per click

Brightness:

20 daylight settings

10 NV settings (night vision compatible model)

Power Source:

1 x CR123 battery

Battery Life:

1,000 continuous hours at nominal setting 4 at room temperature

Country of Origin:

Made in the USA

For more information, please visit www.eotechinc.com.

Posted in Advertiser, C-UAS, Optics, Press Release | No Comments »

Tobyhanna Army Depot Enters First-of-Its-Kind Arrangement for Rapid sUAS Component Production

Friday, August 7th, 2026

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – In a move set to reshape the Defense Industrial Base, Tobyhanna Army Depot signed a landmark cooperative arrangement with a defense industry partner. This arrangement merges capabilities aimed at rapidly advancing domestic manufacturing and military readiness.

The strategic agreement empowers TYAD and Darkhive, a company focused on modern hardware and software solutions for aerospace and defense use, to combine strengths in support of critical Department of War requirements. This cooperative agreement focuses on the future of combat and defense, including the rapid development, production and sustainment of small-unmanned aircraft systems, or sUAS.

“The Organic Industrial Base is the backbone of Army readiness, but the world is changing, and the OIB needs to change too,” said Chris Mohan, commanding general of Army Materiel Command. “We are using new business practices, in coordination with the defense industrial base, to transform ourselves while simultaneously supporting high operational demands for U.S. forces and allies.”

The cooperative arrangement serves as a pioneering use of use of Title 10 of U.S. Code section 7544, which authorizes a working capital-funded Army industrial facility to enter into an agreement with a non-Army entity to carry out a military or commercial project. In this instance, the first time this authority has ever been leveraged by TYAD, the arrangement merges the Army’s premier Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Center of Excellence with industry best practices and capabilities.

The arrangement also comes on the heels of the Army’s OIB Transformation Strategy, signed in April 2026, to convert depots, arsenals and ammunition plants from a fragmented, maintenance-focused enterprise into a strategically aligned industrial engine capable of delivering combat-ready formations in competition, crisis and conflict.

“This is more than just a partnership as this agreement represents the future— the first of many designed to close the gap between commercial tech innovators and the military’s Organic Industrial Base,” said Jon Strzelec, AMC advanced manufacturing lead for sUAS. “By combining the speed and agility of the commercial sector with the massive production capability of our depots and arsenals, we are creating a new model for rapid defense innovation and product delivery.”

The agreement enables a dynamic sharing of resources allowing TYAD to utilize its state-of-the-art infrastructure to manufacture cutting-edge parts, perform sustainment services and directly produce industry-standard products for government use.

The arrangement also opens the doors of TYAD to Darkhive personnel, who will be able to lease and operate within the depot’s facilities, tapping into its extensive equipment and production capacity to further research and innovate sUAS technology while also generating working capital funds for TYAD.

“The arrangement allows Tobyhanna Army Depot to take advantage of DIB speed while Darkhive can develop new solutions for the government using OIB production lines that are already established,” Strzelec said. “And this synergistic approach won’t just stop with production of sUAS components.”

This cooperative arrangement is setting a new standard for modern defense collaboration with the OIB, ensuring a more resilient defense industrial base capable of meeting tomorrow’s national security challenges.

By Lindsay Grant

Posted in Army, C-UAS, Guest Post, Industry, Manufacturing | No Comments »

US Army Seeks Next Generation Counter-Small UAS Missile (NGCM)

Wednesday, August 5th, 2026

Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) Fires, Capability Portfolio Executive (CPE) Defensive Fires, Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) Product Office has issued a Sources Sought Notice to industry seeking information on technologies Next Generation C-sUAS Missile (NGCM) solution.

This will inform a requirement for the development, integration, demonstration and production of extended-range, quick-response, missile to defeat group 2 and group 3 small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) threats. The principal objectives for this effort are to develop, produce, and sustain a missile capability at extended ranges with rapid launch and reduced time-to-target over existing effectors.

The Counter – Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) is a capability fielded in response to the rapid proliferation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) threat, commonly referred to as drones. Objective capability detects, tracks, identifies, and defeats emitting and non-emitting UAS with radars, kinetic effectors, electronic warfare, and electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) components to prevent surveillance or attacks against US and coalition forces.

There are two primary configurations: Fixed-Site Low, slow, small UAS Integrated Defeat System (FS-LIDS) and Mobile Low, slow, small UAS Integrated Defeat System (M-LIDS) as well as multiple special systems devices.

The FS-LIDS configuration provides a C-UAS capability with modular, scalable architecture for employment at fixed sites. FS-LIDS incorporates the Forward Area Air Defense (FAAD), Electromagnetic Warfare (EW), Multi-Mission Radar (MMR), EO/IR Cameras, and kinetic options.

The M-LIDS configuration is mounted on tactical vehicles for employment at the halt and on-the-move, providing a scalable capability at the tactical edge. M-LIDS delivers kinetic and non-kinetic effects incorporating many common components with FS-LIDS using the same baselines as the fixed site variant to detect, identify, and defeat small UAS.

The Army is looking for NGCM to be produced and integrated into the existing Coyote Launch System to provide extended range, rapid launch time, and reduced time-to-target over current effectors.

Technologies must be at least TRL 7 following the end of the initial developmental test series that ends in 4QFY27 which supports immediate deployment. The Government requires the missile be ready for ATEC evaluation by 4QFY27. The Government requires 50x missiles to be ready for Operational Assessment (OA) by 1QFY28.

Key Modernization Requirements: The missile must provide the following capabilities (Not Exhaustive/Prioritized):

• Enhanced Range and Altitude: The missile shall be capable of defeating group 2 and group 3 sUAS threats at >16km at 6km altitude (T), >25km at 8km altitude(O).
• Improved Launch Times: Missile shall be capable of leaving the rail within a launch response of <5 seconds from operator initiation.
• Affordability: The missile production cost should be less than $150K per missile in a quantity buy of at least 5,000 missiles.
• Integration: The missile must be compatible with the Coyote Launcher with minimal to no modifications. The missile must be compatible with C-UAS architecture: IBCS-M via the WES ICD, KuRFS (T), radar agnostic: Sentinel A3/A4, LTAMDS, PATRIOT, TPQ-53 (O). The missile should use an all-weather RF seeker.

FYI, the Government will require design documentation for missile components, the integrated missile system, and the All-Up-Round (AUR) configured to integrate with the launch platform.

Interested parties must respond by Aug 20, 2026 4:00 PM EDT.

Full information available at sam.gov.

Posted in Army, C-UAS | No Comments »

Army-Industry Collaboration Advances Counter-UAS Technology

Saturday, August 1st, 2026

FORT A.P. Hill, Va. — As the war in Ukraine and ongoing global conflicts demonstrate, the rapid proliferation of agile, armed unmanned aircraft systems has fundamentally transformed modern warfare.

In direct alignment with the Secretary of War’s guiding principles of urgency, speed, efficiency, competition and lethality, the U.S. Army Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Center is taking a leading role in ensuring our forces maintain absolute battlefield overmatch. By driving collaboration with defense technology developers, the center is rapidly delivering next-generation capabilities that will protect warfighters against these evolving lethal threats.

In May the Center executed its first-ever counter-small unmanned aircraft systems event, known as Warden, a collaborative government and industry assessment held at Fort A.P. Hill. It served as a venue for data collection, demonstration and evaluation of non-kinetic drone defeat technologies. Over the course of a week and half, a team of C5ISR Center counter-UAS experts collected data and performed field assessments of systems in development against various UASs flying mock attack runs.

For the 17 industry partners in attendance, Warden presented a unique opportunity to test their C-UAS systems against multiple types of aerial threats in real-world scenarios. They pitted their lasers, radio frequency jammers and an intercept UAS against more than a dozen types of UASs using a variety of realistic attack patterns, including a swarm of drones. During these challenges industry was constantly collecting performance data to refine and improve the systems and underlying algorithms.

Once the data was collected, each industry participant submitted their findings to the center for comparison to the actual UAS flight paths for ground truthing. By comparing this data against a verified baseline, C5ISR Center experts can assess each system’s performance against newly established performance criteria recently established by the Department of War and the Committee on Homeland and National Security of the National Science and Technology Council.

Called “The Standard Guidelines for Test and Evaluation of Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Technologies,” it establishes an apples-to-apples comparison for the industry participants to further refine their systems.

Improvements made as a result of Warden include detecting and identifying incoming UAS threats from longer standoff distances for better force protection; updated sensor algorithms to create more resilient C-UAS solutions; and enhancements to make it easier to share data between the sensors, warfighters in the field and command and control.

Other improvements aim to make sensor and laser effector systems easier for dismounted squads to use. These enhancements will deliver low size, weight and power systems that can be rifle-mounted or paired with wearable sensors to keep Soldiers’ hands free while jamming.

The C5ISR Center organizers fully appreciated the value of collaboration, which combined with a sense of friendly competition to find the best-of-breed solutions for protecting America’s warfighters.

And it was not only industry that reaped benefits of the Warden event. The event’s project manager, Clint Farrell said, “As an honest broker assessing these technologies, the C5ISR Center is able to learn, transparently, which systems are mature and where there are still gaps that industry needs to apply future investments.”

C5ISR Center Director Beth Ferry agreed. “Working together with industry, we are finding the best C-UAS technology for our Soldiers: high performance, low weight, easy data sharing. There are no failures for our industry partners, just opportunities to improve and ensure they meet Soldiers’ needs.”

By Brian Feeney, DEVCOM C5ISR Center Public Affairs

Posted in Army, C-UAS, Guest Post | No Comments »

DroneShield Breaks the Detection Paradigm: RfAI-3 Senses Drones That Have Never Been Seen Before

Tuesday, July 28th, 2026

Third generation of DroneShield’s proprietary RF detection engine delivers situational awareness in complex and evolving threat environments.Sydney, Australia – 28 July 2026 – DroneShield a global leader in advanced counter-drone (CUAS) technology, today unveiled RfAI-3, the third generation of its proprietary radio frequency intelligence engine. RfAI-3 marks a significant evolution in counter-drone doctrine, prioritizing wideband detection to sense drone threats beyond known and pre-classified emitters, delivering decisive situational awareness in the complex, rapidly evolving threat environments that define modern operations.

A New Detection Paradigm

Industry standard RF detection systems operate on a cataloged emitter model: a drone must be cataloged in an RF dataset before it can be reliably identified. As drone proliferation accelerates and adversaries deploy increasingly novel, commercially sourced, and purpose-built systems, this limitation creates a critical and growing gap.

RfAI-3 inverts the conventional approach. Rather than searching the spectrum for signals it already knows, the model detects the emissions present and then fingerprints each one against previously observed drone signatures. Where a match exists, the emitter is classified with full detail. Where it does not, RfAI-3 generates a signature for the unknown emission and presents it to the operator with a confidence assessment, ranked against the wider spectrum picture. Nothing is discarded for being unfamiliar, and every new signature the model generates becomes a reference for the next encounter.

Image: RfAI-3 senses unknown RF emissions within DroneSentry-C2 for operational context and rapid decision-making.

“The drone threat doesn’t wait for classification. RfAI-3 represents a fundamental shift in how we approach RF-based detection. We are no longer limited to seeing only what we already know. Wideband changes the calculus for our operators and for the adversaries trying to evade them,” said Angus Bean, Chief Executive Officer of DroneShield.

The RfAI Lineage

RfAI, initially developed in 2018, established the foundational RF detection architecture, delivering real-time classification of known drone emitters with precision that rule-based systems could not match.

RfAI-2, released in 2023, turned the RF intelligence dataset into a continuously expanding asset, with new drone models, protocols, and threat vectors identified through DroneShield’s ongoing acquisition and characterization program and distributed to the deployed fleet.

RfAI-3, unveiled today, builds on this robust foundation while breaking the paradigm. Wideband detection extends capability beyond the RF dataset entirely, surfacing drone emissions outside of any catalog. Combined with the continuously expanding RF intelligence dataset inherited from RfAI-2, the result is a detection capability that compounds over time while simultaneously operating beyond the boundaries of what it has previously encountered.

Intelligence That Compounds

A defining characteristic of the RfAI architecture, retained and accelerated in RfAI-3, is the continuously expanding RF intelligence dataset. DroneShield’s engineering teams maintain a rigorous program of emitter identification, classification, and integration, ensuring that known threat signatures are cataloged and distributed to the full deployed fleet.

This means the system’s performance against classified emitters compounds over time. An RfAI-3-powered deployment today will be more capable six months after commissioning than it is on day one, not because of a hardware upgrade, but because the intelligence it draws on continues to grow.

Delivery and Availability

RfAI-3 is specifically designed for DroneShield’s next-generation hardware platforms, with initial releases expected in the second half of calendar year 2026 and further releases through 2027. DroneShield’s existing product lineup continues to be supported under the company’s software subscription model, including ongoing delivery of expanded emitter coverage as the RF intelligence dataset grows.

Posted in C-UAS, Press Release | No Comments »