The private investment firm Highlander Partners (“Highlander”) announced the acquisition of Black Sage Technologies (“Black Sage”) today.

Black Sage represents the third investment made in connection with a newly formed division of Highlander that was established to pursue leading technologies in the C-UAS, UAS, and related defense industries.

 

Founded in 2014, Black Sage has established itself as a leading multi-mission platform provider in the Counter-UAS industry. Headquartered in Boise, Idaho, the company provides security solutions for critical infrastructure, military, and the security industries.

The acquisition of Black Sage represents the third major acquisition in the UAS and Counter-UAS industries after Highlander formed High Point Aerotechnologies (“High Point“) in May 2022. High Point was formed as a division of Highlander to assist in military and civilian investments specifically related to the Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) and Counter-UAS sectors.

Highlander Continues Strategy

Highlander’s strategy includes acquiring established companies rather than creating their own technology solutions. Before the end of 2022, Highlander announced that it had acquired Liteye Systems. Liteye Systems is a leading manufacturer and integrator of Counter-UAS systems that detect, identify, track, and disrupt hostile uncrewed aircraft.

In early January 2023, Highlander announced the acquisition of DZYNE Technologies. DZYNE focuses on designing and manufacturing a variety of cutting-edge UAS for the Department of Defense and other government agencies.

The rise of the use of drones in warfare, as well as criminal activity, has created an immediate need for Counter-UAS systems and solutions to protect critical infrastructure, assets, and mass gatherings. Black Sage has established itself as a leader in the Counter-UAS space with its proprietary and scalable open architecture command and control software, DefenseOS.

Black Sage Adds Capability to High Point

DefenseOS delivers leading automation capabilities, including AI/ML automated target recognition and threat evaluation, ISR functionality, electronic warfare, and kinetic and non-kinetic effectors. The Company operates as an integrator of over 40 cohesive sensor and effector systems. This capability facilitates highly configurable and hardware-agnostic systems customized to fit mission objectives and customer requisites. Such flexibility ensures that customers can address evolving UAS threats.

Black Sage CEO, Al White commented, “The Black Sage executive team is excited to join forces with Highlander and High Point to continue our growth trajectory in the C-UAS, critical infrastructure, and security markets. The need for effective multi-mission C-UAS solutions is increasingly evident and we believe that Highlander will bring the necessary government and military relationships, industry experience, and long-term financial approach to accelerate our objectives in driving the business forward.”

Ben Slater, Partner and COO of Highlander, commented, “The acquisition of Black Sage marks Highlander’s third C-UAS/UAS acquisition since the formation of High Point in May 2022, reconfirming our strategy of targeting technology leaders in these high growth, developing sectors. We are confident that Black Sage, with its highly advanced systems, will further our mission of creating world-class, cutting-edge solutions to aid in the defense of our armed forces, allies, and critical infrastructure. We are thrilled to partner with the entire Black Sage team.”

President and CEO of Highlander, Jeff L. Hull, added, “Black Sage has solidified a leadership role in the emerging C-UAS category. Its integrated solutions, driven by their highly advanced DefenseOS software, provide a differentiated solution to the market. We are highly impressed with the vision of the Black Sage team and look forward to working together to meet the large and growing need for effective counter-drone defense solutions.”