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Joint Interagency Task Force 401 Publishes Counter-Drone Handbook

Monday, July 13th, 2026

Joint Interagency Task Force 401 recently published a practical handbook designed to aid audiences across government, industry and academia in building a shared understanding of the drone threat and the basic principles of protecting against illicit drones.

The task force developed the guide, titled “Small Drones, Big Problems: A First Principles Approach to Countering-UAS,” as part of its mission to synchronize counter-unmanned aircraft systems efforts across the War Department and federal interagency partners.

The handbook also establishes a common vocabulary and incorporates the latest information about UAS, including lessons learned from operations in the Middle East and on battlefields in Europe. It explains how adversaries can use drones, outlines the key components of a layered drone defense and examines the factors that enable successful counter-UAS operations.

“It is crucial to build a common foundation for counter-drone efforts as we work with the entire government and interagency partners to respond to this growing threat,” said Army Maj. Joe Amoroso, deputy chief of strategic initiatives for JIATF 401. “This guide shares vital first principles and direct feedback from warfighters employing [counter]-UAS systems so the entire community has the means, methods and concepts for countering the defining threat of our time.”

The handbook emphasizes a layered approach as the most effective defense against illicit drones, with a variety of tools available to counter threats. It reinforces the importance of capabilities that go beyond technological solutions, including training for warfighters that equips them with the knowledge and permissions they need to respond to drone threats in real time.

Through this publication, JIATF 401 continues its mission to expand counter-UAS capability to warfighters at home and abroad.

“While there is no silver bullet to protect against drones, the threat can be mitigated if we are proactive, work with partners across the government and build a layered defense,” said Army Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, task force director. “We have faced novel challenges before, and we should not be intimidated by this one. We should lean in and take every possible step to prepare ourselves to dominate on the modern battlefield.”

By Joint Interagency Task Force 401

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

Skapion Secures $36 Million Seed Funding to Accelerate Mobile Counter-Swarm Defense System

Friday, July 10th, 2026

Funding will accelerate development, system validation and expansion of the company’s engineering capabilities

Washington, D.C. / Ramat Gan, Israel, July 09, 2026 – Skapion, a defense technology company developing a mobile counter-swarm defense system for large-scale drone attacks, today announced that it has secured $36 million in Seed funding. The round was co-led by UP. Partners and Khosla Ventures, with participation from existing investors TBD VC, qFund and Fusion VC, new investor Stratos Ventures, and additional investors.

The investment comes as defense organizations worldwide accelerate efforts to field scalable counter-UAS and counter-swarm capabilities in response to the growing use of mass drone attacks across modern battlefields.

Skapion is developing a mobile, end-to-end counter-swarm defense system designed to detect, engage and neutralize large-scale drone attacks. The system is being developed to support hundreds of simultaneous engagements while significantly reducing interception costs compared with conventional air defense solutions. It is intended to operate alongside maneuvering forces or deployed in forward operating bases, critical infrastructure and fixed air-defense assets, including communication-denied , challenging weather conditions and contested operational environments.

The funding will accelerate engineering development, system validation and continued expansion of the company’s technical capabilities, while supporting engagement with defense organizations and strategic partners in Israel, the United States and allied markets.

Skapion was founded by an experienced team of defense, engineering and technology leaders. The founding team includes Brig. Gen. (Res.) Pini Yungman, former General Manager of Rafael’s Air and Missile Defense Systems division and one of the architects of Iron drone and David’s Sling – Israel’s advanced air-defense programs; Ido Bar-On, former defense executive at XTEND and retired IDF special operations officer; Gal Goren, Co-founder and CTO; entrepreneur Zafrir Yoeli; and defense entrepreneur Yaron Karp.

Skapion is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its R&D center in Ramat Gan, Israel.

“Drone swarms require a fundamentally different approach to air defense,” said Ido Bar-On, Co-founder and CEO of Skapion. “Our system is designed from the ground up to address the scale, speed and operational demands of coordinated drone attacks. This investment enables us to accelerate development, expand our engineering team and bring this capability to defense customers facing one of today’s fastest-growing operational challenges.”

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

TECOM Establishes Marine Corps Robotics Integration Group and Counter Drone Team

Friday, July 10th, 2026

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va.— The Marine Corps has established theMarine Corps Robotics Integration Groupas its service-level organization responsible for integrating, standardizing, and institutionalizing training for Group 1 and Group 2 small unmanned aircraft systems and counter-small unmanned aircraft systems across the Total Force, as announced inMARADMIN 307/26.

Assigned under Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, MCRIG serves as the Marine Corps’ focal point for unmanned systems training integration, curriculum development, and education. The organization ensures emerging drone capabilities are transformed into standardized programs of instruction, instructor certifications, and enduring training products that can be delivered consistently throughout the Marine Corps.

“The battlefield continues to demonstrate that small unmanned aircraft systems are no longer niche capabilities; they are indispensable tools for reconnaissance, precision strike, force protection and survivability,” said Maj. Gen. Mark H. Clingan, commanding general, MAGTFTC, MCAGCC. “The Marine Corps Robotics Integration Group provides the institutional framework necessary to rapidly integrate validated capabilities into standardized training, ensuring Marines across the Total Force are prepared to employ and defeat these systems in future conflicts.”

The establishment of MCRIG reflects the Marine Corps’ continued effort to adapt to the rapidly evolving character of warfare, where inexpensive, commercially available unmanned aircraft have fundamentally changed how modern militaries detect, target, maneuver, and fight. MCRIG also establishes a deliberate process for transitioning emerging capabilities into formal Marine Corps training.

As the service-level integrator, MCRIG receives validated capability packages, including tactics, techniques and procedures, pilot courses and training requirements, from specialized organizations responsible for experimentation and operational assessment. Once validated, MCRIG develops curriculum, training support packages, and certification standards before distributing them through designated regional hubs that execute standardized instruction across the Fleet Marine Force.

Central to this process are two complementary organizations: the Marine Corps Attack Drone Team and the newly established Marine Corps Counter Drone Team.

“The Marine Corps Attack Drone Team and the Marine Corps Counter Drone Team are designed to move at the speed of technology. Through the analysis of exercises, operations, and purposely designed events we gain critical information about how systems should be employed or defeated,” said Col. Charles Anklam III, commanding officer, Weapons Training Battalion. “Our responsibility is to rigorously test ideas, validate capabilities, and rapidly transition those findings to MCRIG, where they become standardized training that benefits every Marine. This partnership allows us to remain agile to the constantly changing threat, innovate quickly, and provide the fleet with consistently reliable, credible, and operationally relevant information to increase lethality and survivability.”

The Marine Corps established MCCDT to accelerate counter-drone training development in the same way MCADT has supported and advanced attack drone capability development, experimentation, research, testing, and evaluation. Together, the two organizations provide Training Command a focused capability to study both sides of the unmanned systems fight: employment and defeat.

As an organic element of Weapons Training Battalion at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, MCCDT serves as Training Command’s dedicated counter-drone training development cell. Not designed to deploy as an operational force provider, MCCDT’s role is to identify the threat, test emerging solutions, validate practical tactics, and transition those findings to MCRIG for service-wide implementation.

MCCDT integrates lessons from MCWL, MAGTFTC, MCRIG, government partners, industry, and the Fleet Marine Force to ensure counter-drone tactics and training remain operationally relevant. This approach allows the Marine Corps to rapidly assess emerging threats, evaluate available technologies, and convert battlefield lessons into practical training requirements.

Using established Marine Corps guidance and approved training standards as its baseline, MCCDT conducts operational assessments and force-on-force evaluations to refine C-sUAS best practices. Once validated, those recommendations are provided to MCRIG for incorporation into institutional doctrine, curriculum, instructor certifications, and standardized training products.

This relationship creates a disciplined innovation pathway. MCADT and MCCDT move quickly to support the experimentation, assessment, and validation of tactics against emerging unmanned systems challenges, while MCRIG ensures those lessons become consistent, repeatable, and enduring training across the Marine Corps.

Together, these organizations create a continuous cycle of innovation and institutional learning, rapidly identifying and validating lessons through operational assessment, and incorporating them into formal Marine Corps training.

Designated TECOM regional hubs will execute MCRIG-approved courses throughout the Marine Corps, providing geographically distributed training while also returning operational observations and lessons learned to support continuous improvement of curriculum and tactics. The integrated training enterprise provides the Marine Corps with a sustainable framework capable of rapidly adapting as unmanned technologies evolve, ensuring Marines receive standardized, current, and operationally relevant instruction regardless of where they train.

The Marine Corps is also seeking motivated, technically proficient, and innovative Marines to help build this emerging capability. Marines interested in serving in select C-sUAS billets within MCRIG are encouraged to review MARADMIN 307/26 for eligibility requirements and application procedures.

The establishment of MCRIG and MCCDT represents another significant milestone in the Marine Corps’ broader modernization efforts, ensuring Marines remain prepared to employ and counter rapidly evolving unmanned systems while preserving the agility, lethality, and survivability required on tomorrow’s battlefield.

Story by Maj Hector Infante

U.S. Marine Corps Training and Education Command

Posted in Admin, C-UAS, Drone, Guest Post, Profession of Arms, Robotics, USMC, UxS | No Comments »

AFGSC, JIATF-401 Conduct Multi-Command C-sUAS Qualification at Camp Guernsey

Wednesday, July 1st, 2026

CAMP GUERNSEY JOINT TRAINING CENTER, Wyo. —

Airmen from the 90th Missile Wing joined personnel from Air Force Global Strike Command, Air Combat Command, U.S. Strategic Command and the Air National Guard for a counter-small unmanned aircraft systems firing qualification conducted in partnership with Joint Interagency Task Force 401, May 14-15.

As the battlefield continues to evolve, tactics, techniques and procedures must adapt alongside emerging threats. One of the most rapidly developing areas is the C-sUAS environment, where technology, training and operational requirements are evolving quickly.

In August 2025, the Department of War established JIATF-401 as the department’s lead organization for synchronizing efforts to rapidly deliver C-sUAS capabilities at scale to defend the homeland, protect U.S. and allied forces, defend critical infrastructure and assist federal agencies. JIATF-401 has one measure of effectiveness: rapidly delivering state-of-the-art C-sUAS capabilities to warfighters at home and abroad.

The two-day firing qualification tested and enhanced operators’ ability to engage ground and aerial targets at varying distances using technologically advanced small arms target acquisition systems.

“Protecting our power projection platforms is a critical component of enhancing warfighter lethality,” said Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, director of JIATF-401. “I am grateful for the partnership with the 90th Missile Wing, Air Combat Command, and Air Force Global Strike Command that is enhancing C-sUAS training to keep our warfighters, installations and critical assets safe from drone threats.”

Beyond supporting department-level C-sUAS objectives, the qualification also provided 90th MW personnel with hands-on experience using emerging capabilities that support AFGSC’s broader modernization efforts and strengthen the wing’s national security mission.

The C-sUAS qualification comes as AFGSC continues to modernize the tools and platforms that support missile field security and nuclear deterrence. With the transition from Up-Armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, commonly known as Humvees, to Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, and the replacement of UH-1N Hueys with MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters, the command is adapting its capabilities to meet current and future security demands. C-sUAS training represents another layer of that modernization, preparing defenders to counter emerging unmanned threats to critical assets, personnel and the intercontinental ballistic missile mission.

“The system is a game changer,” said Col. Jeremy Sheppard, 90th Security Forces Group commander. “When you hear one of our young defenders say they feel more confident and prepared, that’s the metric that matters most to me as a commander. That confidence born from having the best tools and training, translates directly into a more lethal and decisive force on the ground. This isn’t just about fielding new technology; it’s a direct investment from our major command in our most critical weapon system: the individual defender. We are sharpening the spear at every level, and this is what it looks like.

For the Airmen who participated, the qualification offered direct experience with systems designed to counter emerging threats and improve defender readiness in operational environments

“This training makes me more effective by giving me hands-on experience with systems designed to counter hostile drones,” said Senior Airman Preston Reiger, 90th Missile Security Operations Squadron sUAS/C-sUAS specialist. “It shows the wing is taking C-sUAS seriously and actively building another layer of defense to protect our mission, assets and personnel.”

The C-sUAS firing qualification provided practical experience with capabilities designed to meet an evolving threat environment. Through continued collaboration with C-sUAS organizations like JIATF-401, the 90th MW is strengthening its ability to defend the nation’s ICBM mission today while preparing for the security challenges of tomorrow.

Story and photos by SSgt Michael A. Richmond

90th Missile Wing Public Affairs

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

Dates Announced for 2027 Canadian National Counter-UAS Conference

Tuesday, June 30th, 2026

Save the date for the 2027 Canadian National Counter-UAS Conference, taking place April 8–9, 2027 in Ottawa, Ontario. Building on the success of this year’s event, which brought together over 200 participants from 83 organizations across Canada and the United States, we are excited to continue fostering the strong national and international collaboration that emerged. With broad representation from policing, intelligence, military, government, critical infrastructure, academia, and industry, the conference has become a key platform for advancing a unified approach to counter-UAS challenges. In advance of the conference, we are pleased to welcome Retired U.S. Army Colonel Bill Edwards, a recognized leader in C-UAS operations and training, who will deliver specialized training sessions on April 6–7.

We look forward to welcoming partners back to further strengthen relationships, share expertise, and drive coordinated strategies to address the evolving threat landscape in 2027.

www.kingstonpolice.ca/news-and-community/2027-canadian-national-cuas-conference

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New DroneShield Report Reveals Serious Gaps in Airport, Critical Infrastructure Counter-Drone Security

Monday, June 29th, 2026

1 in 10 Have No Plan

New DroneShield Report Reveals Serious Gaps in Airport, Critical Infrastructure Counter-Drone Security29 June 2026 – New research released today finds that unauthorized drone activity has moved well beyond a theoretical threat, according to international airports, aviation authorities, correctional facilities, and port operators across North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

DroneShield, a global leader in advanced counter-drone technology, released the findings of Airspace Under Pressure: A Global Assessment of Counter-UAS Readiness Across Airports and Critical Infrastructure, a new industry report drawing on direct survey responses from more than twenty airport and critical infrastructure operators worldwide.

The report finds:

Detection gaps are systemic and severe: 70% of respondents identified detection capability gaps as a barrier to effective counter-UAS operations.

Regulatory, legal constraints also hamper counter-UAS: 6 in 10 (60%) of respondents also indicated that they lack the legal authority to take direct mitigation action against unauthorized drones, even when the threat to safety is clear and immediate. Other reasons cited as barriers to effective counter-UAS operations include integration complexity (at 48%) and training and preparedness (35%).

Respondents were also asked to describe their organization’s counter-UAS operational objectives:

Full combination (Awareness + Detection + Tracking + Response): 57%

Detection-focused (Partial): 13%

Awareness only: 13%

Undefined / No formal plan: 17%

The responses reveal a critical structural problem: the gap between what organizations intend and what they have built.

In particular, the 17% of respondents with no formalized counter-UAS plan represent a specific and acute risk: organizations that will be managing a drone incident for the first time during the incident itself, with no established procedures, no clear escalation pathway, and no baseline situational awareness from which to act.

New Report: Airspace Under Pressure: A Global Assessment of Counter-UAS Readiness

“The primary Counter-UAS challenge in 2025 is not awareness of the threat; it is the capacity to convert awareness into authorized, coordinated, real-time action,” said Tom Adams, Director of Public Safety at DroneShield. “Technology investment alone will not close this gap. Regulatory reform and operational integration must advance simultaneously.”

The Readiness Maturity Gap
The report introduces a readiness maturity framework mapping respondents across two dimensions: objective maturity and operational capability.

The majority of surveys operators cluster in two quadrants:

Prepared quadrant: 13 organizations had defined operational objectives and moderate counter-UAS capabilities.

These are typically larger airports and critical infrastructure operators who have invested in the problem and have structured frameworks in place. But even within this group, capability gaps remain. The Prepared quadrant describes a relative position, not an adequate one.

Partial quadrant: 5 organizations had operational objectives in place, but capability has not kept pace with the realities they face.

These operators face a specific risk: they have plans that they cannot execute with their current tools and authority.

Exposed quadrant: A meaningful minority (of 3 organizations) sit in the exposed quadrant: undefined objectives, minimal capability, and no formalized framework.

These organizations are at the greatest risk of managing a serious drone incident reactively, without established procedures, and with outcomes that are difficult to predict or control.

Overall, this report argues that the defining differentiator in the years ahead will be whether organizations address these gaps systematically, before an incident forces an unplanned response; or reactively, under pressure, with consequences that cannot be fully controlled.

Report Availability
Airspace Under Pressure is available for download here. The full report includes operator survey data, thematic analysis across five key capability dimensions, and a readiness maturity framework for self-assessment.

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

Army Armaments Center Develops New Counter-UAS Capability

Monday, June 29th, 2026

PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. — A new effort led by the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center demonstrated advancements developed for fire control, enabling the ability to engage and defeat drones with a common remotely operated weapon station while shooting on the move.

The fire control project is a Science and Technology Integration Office software effort that is designing, developing and demonstrating advanced counter-drone fire control capabilities. The project underwent testing in April at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Maryland.

According to Nick Cascia, project officer, the initiative began as a mission-driven response to the emerging small unmanned aerial system threat after leadership directed the team to pursue an advanced fire control capability to defeat small drones.

The effort integrated the Armaments Center’s Gunslinger fire control, originally developed under the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft program, and adapted it for ground-to-air targeting. The remote weapon station is able to defeat small moving targets while the vehicle is in motion by using the Gunslinger’s fire control, as well as various vehicle sensor feeds, to provide real-time data, ensuring the weapon is accurately aimed at the target drone.

This fire control solution uses a modular open system approach, so the developed software as well as any future enhancements can be shared across the Army. Once matured, the software will improve system accuracy against drones, reducing the number of rounds needed to defeat the threat.

According to James Little, deputy project lead, the development team received promising results from their April tests and will iterate and build upon these results in subsequent tests to improve system performance. With these tests, developers will continue to increase the speed of both the vehicle and drone.

“It’s a great start to the effort,” Cascia explained. “The [project] team has put considerable time and effort into developing our advanced fire control algorithms and preparing for this test. Once we started destroying drones, it showed the hard work was paying off.”

By Tyler Barth

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

Nokia to Provide Intelligent Connectivity for Finnish Border Guard Counter-Drone Initiative Nationwide

Friday, June 26th, 2026

· Nokia Defense joins Finnish-Nordic consortium to strengthen counter-UAS border security

· Secure, scalable connectivity enables real-time threat detection and interoperable mission-critical operations across land and sea

Espoo, Finland, June 25, 2026 – Nokia today announced its participation in a new industrial consortium led by the Finnish Border Guard to develop the next-generation counter-drone capabilities for patrol vehicles and boats. Nokia’s Defense unit will help support border security duties, surveillance, protection of territorial integrity and the safeguarding of critical infrastructure by providing an intelligent network solution that enables secure, high-performance connectivity, real-time data exchange and interoperability across systems.

The initiative supports the Finnish Border Guard’s goal of building a sovereign, integrated counter-unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and threat detection capability to be deployed nationwide. By connecting platforms, sensors and command-and-control systems, the solution is designed to deliver enhanced real-time situational awareness and enable faster, more coordinated responses to evolving multi-domain threats.

Nokia’s role reflects the growing importance of trusted and intelligent connectivity as a foundation for modern defense and border security. As drones become more accessible and widely used, threat detection, sensing and connectivity must work seamlessly to protect personnel, infrastructure and mission effectiveness. Through the consortium, Nokia Defense will work with key partners to support a scalable, future-ready system aligned with national and allied requirements.

Mikko Hautala, Chief Geopolitical & Government Relations Officer, and Chairman, Nokia Defense, said: “Reliable, secure connectivity is becoming essential to how defense organizations detect, understand and respond to fast-moving threats. By contributing Nokia’s intelligent connectivity and sensing technology to this consortium, we are helping build an operational and interoperable solution that gives border authorities the real-time awareness and resilience they need in complex land and maritime environments.”

The Finnish Border Guard initiative includes the procurement and deployment of evaluation platforms, connectivity and sensing capabilities, and system integration. The solutions will be evaluated during 2027 and early 2028.

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