Echodyne has announced that Zone 5 Technologies has chosen its radar systems for integration into the company’s Paladin Low Collateral Effects Interceptor (LCEI), an autonomous drone designed to defeat hostile unmanned aircraft. The Paladin is the first interceptor of its type to appear on the U.S. Department of Defense’s Blue UAS Cleared List, a roster of systems approved for government procurement.
Zone 5, a California-based UAS developer, sought a lightweight radar capable of providing accurate airspace data while meeting the size, weight and power constraints of an interceptor drone. The company selected Echodyne’s EchoFlight airborne radar, which uses the firm’s proprietary MESA technology. According to the announcement, the radar provides the situational awareness required for the Paladin to track and engage targets autonomously.
EchoFlight is mounted on the front of the interceptor, while Zone 5 also uses Echodyne’s ground-based EchoShield radar to support detection and tracking at low altitude. Combining both radars allows the Paladin system to fuse airborne and ground-based data for target acquisition and navigation.
Zone 5 said it chose Echodyne because of the radar’s reliability and performance, citing the need to keep pace with rapidly evolving drone threats. Echodyne, for its part, framed the collaboration as part of a broader effort to integrate radar with counter-UAS technologies intended for military operations.
Leo McCloskey, Vice President of Marketing at Echodyne, spoke today at the Tecnologia Counter UAS EUA conference, breaking down Echodyne’s stance on the battle of engagement economics that takes place in every counter-UAS engagement.
CONTEÚDO RELACIONADO: Echodyne, WITPiS team up to integrate counter-drone radar on Polish UGVs
Crédito da imagem da publicação: Kaleb Kendall via Unsplash
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