#AUGUST2025 NEWSWIRE
August 2025 counter-drone roundup. JIATF-401 formally established, directed energy deliveries begin, Epirus HPM contract, and the adaptation spiral continues.
#AUGUST2025 NEWSWIRE
JIATF-401 Officially Stands Up
Aug 28, 2025: In a brief memo to joint force commanders, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth formally established the Joint Integrated Air Task Force 401 (JIATF-401) as a standing command, collocating C-UAS planning with broader air defense integration. The announcement was notably understated—a single paragraph buried in a larger force structure memorandum—but reflects a fundamental shift in how DoD organizes C-UAS as a problem.
JIATF-401 consolidates what had previously been the Army's Air Defense Artillery Command C-UAS cell with Navy, Air Force, and Space Force C-UAS representatives under a unified command structure. The new organization will be headquartered at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and will report directly to US Strategic Command. In practice, this means C-UAS targeting, sensor integration, and doctrine development now flow through an explicitly joint channel rather than through competing service stovepipes.
The timing is significant. JIATF-401's establishment comes as US field commanders report increased sophistication in adversary drone operations: coordinated attacks using multiple platforms, autonomous swarm-like behavior (though not true swarms), and deliberate exploitation of C-UAS sensor gaps. The formal command structure signals that the Pentagon views C-UAS as a strategic warfighting domain, not a temporary counter-terrorism problem.
What We Are Watching: Whether JIATF-401 develops C-UAS doctrine independent of legacy air defense assumptions, and whether the joint structure accelerates procurement of multi-service compatible C2 platforms (currently fragmented between Army FAAD C2, Navy Integrated Combat System, and Air Force legacy systems).
Epirus Leonidas HPM Contract Hits $43.5M
Aug 15, 2025: The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) announced a contract modification to Epirus expanding the Leonidas HPM weapon system contract to $43.5 million over five years. The award funds accelerated production and delivery of high-power microwave (HPM) modules to support Army and Special Operations Command pilots.
Leonidas, a high-power microwave system optimized for UAS engagement, has been in development since 2022. HPM weapons differ fundamentally from conventional kinetic systems: rather than physical destruction, HPM delivers electromagnetic pulses that disable electronics. For unmanned systems, HPM offers several advantages: multi-target engagement (single pulse can disable multiple aircraft), no debris, minimal collateral risk, and effectively unlimited magazine depth (limited only by generator endurance).
The contract modification signals DIU confidence in Leonidas maturity and availability. Previous deliveries were delayed by power generation constraints and RF window engineering challenges. The new contract funding likely addresses those bottlenecks. Production timelines suggest operational prototypes in theater by Q2 2026.
What We Are Watching: Integration pathways between Leonidas and tactical C2 systems. HPM effectiveness is highly dependent on precise target localization and engagement geometry; poor C2 integration will waste HPM's theoretical advantages. Also watching: collateral effects on friendly RF systems (communications, radar) in close-proximity deployment scenarios.
AeroVironment HEL Deliveries Begin
Aug 22, 2025: AeroVironment announced first operational deliveries of its THAAD-mounted high-energy laser (HEL) system to the US Marine Corps. The system, developed under the Tactical Directed Energy program, generates multi-kilowatt output and is designed to engage small UAS at ranges up to 5 km in clear weather.
AeroVironment's integration onto the THAAD platform is architecturally significant: rather than a standalone laser, the system leverages THAAD's existing tracking radar and fire control computers. This approach reduces integration complexity and allows existing THAAD crews to operate the laser with minimal training. The laser operates as an alternative engagement option—crews can use either kinetic missiles or laser depending on target type, weather, and collateral risk assessment.
Early reports from operational test indicate laser effectiveness is weather-dependent (unsurprising) but also that integration into THAAD command workflows created less friction than anticipated. The system's primary limitation is magazine depth: once the generator is depleted, crews must wait for recharge before engaging additional targets. In single-target scenarios this is non-limiting; in swarm scenarios it is a serious constraint.
What We Are Watching: Whether THAAD-mounted laser becomes standard upgrade path for existing THAAD batteries, or whether cost and operational readiness concerns limit adoption. Also tracking: integration of AeroVironment HEL into IBCS air defense network (currently in progress with Northrop Grumman as integrator).
Norway Signs $89M Counter-Drone Contract
Aug 18, 2025: The Norwegian Ministry of Defense awarded Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace a contract to provide C-UAS systems for military bases and coastal border security. The contract, valued at NOK 950 million (~$89 million), funds procurement of detection and engagement systems plus five years of logistics support.
Kongsberg, a major Scandinavian defense contractor, selected a mixed architecture: Fortem TrueView radar for detection, Dedrone DedroneTracker for command-and-control, and a combination of RF jamming (Kongsberg-developed) and kinetic engagement (Mistral missile adapted for C-UAS). The integration represents a pragmatic multi-vendor approach, balancing technical capability, industrial policy, and interoperability with NATO systems.
The Norwegian contract is notable because it reflects a NATO country's assessment of maturity: the market has moved beyond pure research and evaluation into production procurement. This signals that European militaries now view C-UAS as an operational requirement, not a future problem.
What We Are Watching: Whether the Norwegian integrated architecture becomes a template for other NATO countries, and whether Mistral's adaptation for C-UAS reveals vulnerabilities in the missile system's engagement logic (Mistral was designed for larger tactical targets; anti-drone application requires different target discrimination).
D-Fend EnforceAir PLUS Launch
Aug 10, 2025: Israeli company D-Fend Technologies announced EnforceAir PLUS, an upgraded counter-drone system that integrates AI-driven threat classification with multi-platform RF jamming. The system uses machine learning to distinguish between hostile and civilian drones based on RF behavior patterns, radar cross-section, and threat signature databases.
EnforceAir PLUS represents a maturation of D-Fend's approach: rather than jamming all detected UAS indiscriminately, the system now applies graduated response levels. Commercial drones receive warning-frequency jamming (forcing them to land); hostile threats receive engagement-level jamming (GPS and control link disruption). This graduated approach reduces collateral effects on civilian airspace operations.
D-Fend's AI classification engine is particularly noteworthy. The system maintains a threat signature database that it continuously updates with operational field data. Over time, the system learns to distinguish threat patterns with increasing accuracy. Early deployments report false positive rates dropping from 15% to <3% over six months of operation.
The system has been evaluated by Israeli Defense Ministry and is being marketed internationally. Pricing is lower than larger platforms like Drone Dome, making it accessible to customers with constrained budgets.
What We Are Watching: Whether AI-driven graduated response becomes industry standard, and whether D-Fend's threat database remains proprietary or becomes a shared intelligence product. Also tracking: export approvals from Israeli Ministry of Defense (which historically are restrictive for C-UAS technology).
DroneShield UAS Incident Platform Update
Aug 5, 2025: DroneShield released an update to its UAS Incident Platform, a cloud-based data analytics service that aggregates counter-drone event data from deployments worldwide. The update adds predictive alerting: customers can now set parameters for "threat escalation patterns" and receive alerts when their operational environment begins matching profiles that historically preceded major incidents.
The Incident Platform represents a shift toward data-driven C-UAS operations. Rather than static engagement rules, operators can now use historical patterns from thousands of deployments to anticipate threats. For example: if a customer's airspace shows sudden increase in RF scanning (reconnaissance) similar to patterns that preceded coordinated attacks in other regions, the platform alerts to heightened readiness.
This data aggregation and pattern matching is powerful but also raises privacy questions. DroneShield maintains data from civil and military customers globally, creating a database of UAS threat patterns tied to geographic locations. The company claims data is anonymized and aggregated, but the risk of de-anonymization or government mandate for data sharing is real.
What We Are Watching: Regulatory scrutiny of international C-UAS data aggregation services, particularly in Europe where data protection regulations are stringent. Also tracking: whether DroneShield's predictive capabilities translate to operational advantage in field testing or whether the pattern matching over-fits to historical scenarios and misses novel threats.
Falcon Peak 25.2 Exercise Completes
Aug 24–28, 2025: The US Army's Air Defense Artillery School conducted Falcon Peak 25.2, a joint exercise integrating C-UAS systems from multiple vendors into a simulated air defense network. The exercise involved 18 geographically dispersed detection and engagement sites, 12 different sensor types, and simultaneous simulated attacks involving 50+ drone targets.
The exercise highlighted both progress and remaining challenges. Integration across sensor types was substantially smoother than in previous iterations—Anduril's Lattice platform and FAAD C2 systems handled data fusion more effectively. Operator workload remained high in high-volume scenarios (20+ threats simultaneously), and some legacy sensors still generated excessive false alarms.
Of particular note: autonomous engagement recommendations. In scenarios where operators enabled autonomous recommendations (system suggests target, operator confirms), engagement timelines were 40% faster than manual workflows. However, in scenarios involving geofence constraints (target near civilian airspace), operator override was common. This suggests that future C2 systems should integrate geofence intelligence more tightly into autonomous recommendation logic.
What We Are Watching: Whether Falcon Peak results drive updated C-UAS procurement priorities within Army Air Defense. Early indications suggest Army may accelerate Lattice integration and issue requirements for geofence-aware autonomous engagement. Also tracking: how this exercise shapes Joint C-UAS doctrine and whether lessons learned translate into DoD-wide procurement guidance.
What We Are Watching This Month
JIATF-401 Integration Timeline: How long before the new joint command structure produces changes in procurement, doctrine, or platform integration?
HPM Maturity and Collateral Effects: As Epirus and other HPM vendors move toward production, what are the discovered constraints on employment (friendly fire risk, range limitations, power generation requirements)?
Directed Energy Weather Envelope: AeroVironment, Rafael, and others are deploying HEL systems. What are the realistic weather constraints, and does marketing literature match operational experience?
Multi-Vendor Integration Reality: The Norwegian contract and Falcon Peak exercise both rely on heterogeneous sensor networks. Do these integrations scale beyond pilot deployments, or do they remain brittle?
Adversary Adaptation: How quickly are near-peer competitors (China, Russia, Iran) adapting their UAS doctrines in response to operational C-UAS deployments? Early signals suggest faster adaptation than expected.