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US radar maker Echodyne mulls European production as drone warfare fuels demand. Sep 10, 2026, 04:14 AM KIELCE, Poland - U.S. radar maker Echodyne has announced that Norway's Kongsberg has selected its MESA radar platform for a broad range of air and surface applications. Echodyne opened a manufacturing facility in Washington state last July, and is considering establishing a manufacturing presence in Europe to benefit from the booming counter-drone market there. Eben Frankenberg, the company's CEO, told Defense News at the MSPO defense show here that Echodyne has longstanding cooperation with Kongsberg. The integration of its radars into the company's Protector RS4 and Protector RS6 remote weapon stations will further increase Echodyne's visibility in European markets, he said. Echodyne's solutions will make "those remote weapon stations, which weren't originally designed to counter drone threats, effective at countering drone threats," Frankenberg said. "And this is something we do with a lot of companies." With a surging demand for miniaturized radars that ensure detection and fire-control support for various counter-drone systems in Europe, Echodyne is also considering investing in establishing a manufacturing presence in Europe. "There's obviously a big European demand and there's rightfully some interest from European countries in having more local content," the CEO said. "We're thinking about where it would make the most sense." In July 2026, Echodyne said it opened an 86,350-square-foot facility under a $40 million investment. The U.S. plant will eventually be able to produce more than 30,000 radar systems per year, according to data from Echodyne. "Part of the plan with the new facility was that it gives us a template or blueprint to be able to open other new facilities in the future. Because now we know exactly all the machines we need to have, all the workstations, the number of people to equip them," Frankenberg said. "So it does set us up for that in the future." Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

KONGSBERG selects Echodyne MESA radar for counter-uas weapon systems. Low-SWaP, precision-tracking radar integrated with PROTECTOR RS4 and RS6 remote weapon stations to strengthen detection-to-defeat performance against drones Echodyne, the radar platform company, today announced that KONGSBERG has selected Echodyne's MESA(R) radar platform for a range of air and surface applications. Among the first use cases, KONGSBERG has integrated MESA radar into the PROTECTOR RS4 and PROTECTOR RS6 remote weapon stations (RWS), adding the precision radar data needed to turn the world's most widely deployed RWS family into a highly effective counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) effector. The selection pairs KONGSBERG's proven weapon-station architecture and Collaborative Fire Control capabilities with Echodyne's compact, solid-state radar. The result is a scalable approach for adding high-fidelity detection, tracking and targeting data to static, crewed and uncrewed platforms without the size, weight and power demands traditionally associated with high-performance electronically scanned array radar. "KONGSBERG has set the standard for remote weapon systems through decades of field experience, disciplined engineering and close collaboration with operators," said Eben Frankenberg, CEO of Echodyne. "Integrating MESA radar gives the PROTECTOR family the precise, stable and persistent tracks needed to cue the fire-control system, sustain target lock and act decisively against fast-moving, low-signature drone threats. Just as important, MESA delivers that performance in a compact, software-defined package that can scale across a large installed base and adapt as the threat evolves." Precision radar data for the fire-control chain. Radar track quality is fundamental to effective fire control. Echodyne's low-SWaP MESA radar supplies high-fidelity range, range-rate, bearing and kinematic data while maintaining the track stability and persistence needed to compute and execute a firing solution. By stabilizing and cueing the optical fire-control system onto a target, the radar helps the weapon station hold lock longer, shorten the detection-to-engagement timeline and improve hit probability against agile, low-radar-cross-section threats. That precision is particularly important when PROTECTOR systems employ programmable airburst munitions. Accurate range and range-rate measurements support the timing needed to place the munition's effect at the correct point in the target's flight path. In networked operations, a cooperative search radar or another sensor can pass a threat track to the radar-equipped RWS; the local MESA radar then refines and sustains the track for fire-control use. This search-cue-track-engage workflow allows distributed systems to share the air picture, assign targets and rapidly retarget as threats are defeated. Validated through a multi-year field program. Echodyne and KONGSBERG have spent multiple years integrating, testing and demonstrating the radar-enabled solution in keeping with KONGSBERG's philosophy to prove capability in the field. Beyond the various PROTECTOR integrations, Echodyne and KONGSBERG are exploring additional uses for high-performance radar across air and surface missions within the KONGSBERG portfolio. The companies expect to continue joint technical work focused on resilient sensing, networked fire control and scalable protection against rapidly evolving threats. Echodyne and KONGSBERG will exhibit at the 34th International Defence Industry Exhibition (MSPO) in Kielce, Poland, September 8-11, 2026

Red Cat wins $2.49M U.S. Air Force order for Black Widow drone systems. July 30, 2026 BY Red Cat Holdings, Inc. Red Cat Holdings Inc. said its Teal Drones subsidiary received a $2.49 million fixed-price contract from the U.S. Air Force to supply Black Widow small unmanned aircraft systems, training and related support. The award includes Black Widow drones, train-the-trainer instruction, batteries, spare parts and shipping. The systems will be used by the U.S. Air Force Security Forces Center to conduct technical and operational assessments of Black Widow as a potential replacement for its current Teal 2 drone fleet. The Air Force Security Forces Center oversees training, equipping and program execution for active-duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve security forces. The evaluation could position Black Widow as a successor across the organization's existing Teal 2 fleet. Red Cat CEO Jeff Thompson said the assessment reflects increasing demand for U.S.-made drone systems for defense and security missions. Black Widow is Red Cat's flagship short-range reconnaissance drone and the platform selected by the U.S. Army for its Short Range Reconnaissance Program. The contract calls for delivery by Aug. 24, 2026. By Lockheed Martin July 20, 2026 Lockheed Martin introduced MORFIUS X-Rotor, a reusable high-power microwave counter-drone system that the company says can disable more than 50 drones in a single mission. The company plans additional testing and accelerated prototype production as it advances the system for military use. July 09, 2026 Echodyne has opened a new Washington manufacturing facility capable of producing more than 30,000 MESA(R) radar systems annually, expanding production capacity to meet growing global demand for counter-drone and defense applications while adding up to 200 jobs. July 06, 2026 Schaeffler and Delair will establish a new drone production line in France capable of manufacturing up to 100 drones per day by late 2026, strengthening Europe's unmanned aerial systems manufacturing capacity. June 17, 2026 DroneShield has produced its first EU-manufactured counter-drone systems, marking a key step in expanding its European manufacturing footprint. The move supports regional defense industrial goals, strengthens supply-chain resilience and enables European customers to access locally produced versions of the company's AI-powered CUAS technology June 11, 2026 Skyfront has secured a U.S. Army contract to field its Perimeter 8 long-endurance hybrid-electric drone alongside Army units, integrating the aircraft into existing command-and-control networks and armored combat vehicles. The company will also train soldiers and instructors and provide ongoing sustainment. The first phase was completed during a three-week Colorado deployment with partner AeroIntel Systems, where soldiers flew the aircraft on beyond-visual-line-of-sight surveillance missions at ranges up to 10 miles. October 13-14, 2026 ALERUS CENTER | GRAND FORKS,NORTH DAKOTA The UAS industry is in the midst of an economic and technological evolution. The 20th annual UAS Summit and Expo - set in Grand Forks, North Dakota, near the heart of some of the most prominent U.S. UAS activity currently happening - is set to showcase and explain the evolution of UAVs while revealing the current state of the commercial UAS industry. It's the original epicenter of drone research, earned its place as the Silicon Valley of Drones and as you'll see from the commercial, government and military flight activity filling the sky of the Northern Plains and beyond every day, it has truly become America's UAS proving grounds.View More