Vendor Profile: Sentrycs (Ondas Holdings)

Sentrycs assessment. Israeli protocol-level C-UAS acquired by Ondas Holdings. What the technology delivers for airports and sensitive sites — and where the approach has limits.

CUAS Editor

— 7 min read

Executive Summary

Sentrycs represents a tightly engineered approach to counter-drone defense: protocol-level detection and mitigation embedded at the radio access layer, paired with kinetic backup for final-layer engagement. As an Israeli technology acquired by American infrastructure investor Ondas Holdings, the company occupies a distinctive market position between pure RF-domain vendors (D-Fend Labs) and broader, multi-sensor platforms. The portfolio has gained real-world validation through $16.4 million in European airport contracts and active deployment in Latin American defense settings. However, protocol dependence creates architectural vulnerabilities that the industry is moving to address.

Company Profile and Acquisition Context

Sentrycs was founded as an Israeli counter-UAS specialist focused on protocol-level drone detection and jamming. The company emerged from a market segment that prioritized technical sophistication and regulatory compliance in European and Middle Eastern aviation environments—a conservative buyer base that valued precision over marketing volume.

In 2024, Ondas Holdings acquired Sentrycs as part of a broader strategy to consolidate C-UAS capabilities within its infrastructure and communications portfolio. Ondas, a Delaware-registered company trading on NASDAQ (ticker: ONDS), had previously positioned itself as a platform integrator for critical infrastructure. The Sentrycs acquisition marked a decisive move into active counter-drone technology, leveraging the company's existing relationships in airports, utilities, and government agencies.

The acquisition price reflected Sentrycs' proven contract base rather than venture-scale valuation. More importantly, it brought Ondas access to:

  • Protocol-level RF detection algorithms proven in European civil aviation
  • Embedded mitigation (jamming) at the protocol layer
  • Regulatory pathways already established with European airport authorities
  • Latin American defense relationships developed through direct sales

For Sentrycs, the Ondas acquisition meant access to capital for product expansion and distribution into North American markets—a priority given the accelerating U.S. government C-UAS procurement cycle.

Technology: Protocol-Level Detection and Mitigation

Sentrycs' core intellectual property operates at the radio protocol layer—specifically targeting the command-and-control (C2) signals that link operator to drone.

Detection Architecture

The detection system monitors and analyzes drone C2 protocols across common frequency bands (2.4 GHz ISM, 5.8 GHz, and licensed bands depending on regional regulation). Rather than relying on radar cross-section or acoustic signatures, Sentrycs identifies drones through:

Protocol fingerprinting: Each drone platform (DJI Avata, Auterion Skynode, FPV custom builds) transmits distinctive C2 packet structures. Sentrycs' library matches these signatures to known platforms and threat profiles.

Frequency hopping analysis: Many commercial and custom drones implement frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) for interference resistance. Sentrycs' algorithms reconstruct the hopping sequence and classify the drone's C2 stack—revealing operator intent and platform type.

Behavioral modeling: C2 signal patterns differ between autonomous flight (steady, predictable telemetry) and piloted operations (frequent, erratic command bursts). This distinction supports threat classification without visual confirmation.

Real-time threat correlation: Detected C2 signals are cross-referenced against known threat databases, update threat scores dynamically, and feed into layered defense orchestration.

Advantage: This approach achieves detection at ranges of 5–25 km depending on antenna configuration and C2 signal power—significantly beyond visual detection or acoustic identification. Protocol-level detection also functions in poor visibility, high-noise urban environments, and at night.

Mitigation: Protocol-Level Jamming

Once a drone is detected and classified as a threat, Sentrycs deploys protocol-level mitigation:

C2 link disruption: The system generates noise or spoofing signals on the identified C2 frequency, disrupting the operator-to-drone command link. This forces the drone into autonomous flight or loss-of-signal (LOS) behavior—typically return-to-home or landing.

Selective engagement: Because Sentrycs identifies the specific drone platform and C2 protocol, the jamming can be narrowly targeted, reducing collateral RF interference and regulatory compliance risk.

Non-kinetic outcome: Unlike missiles or directed-energy systems, protocol-level jamming does not destroy the drone—a significant advantage in civilian airspace where debris containment and liability are concerns.

Trade-off: The mitigation is non-destructive, leaving the drone itself intact. This is an advantage for civilian infrastructure but creates a recovery vulnerability—a sophisticated operator can reestablish C2 after jamming cessation, or pre-program autonomous threat responses that execute despite link disruption.

Integration: American Iron Drone Kinetic Backup

Recognizing the limitations of RF-only mitigation, Ondas has positioned Sentrycs as the detection and jamming layer of a multi-layered architecture. Kinetic backup is provided through integration with American Iron Drone (AID), a Texas-based company that manufactures net-capture and projectile-based UAS interceptors.

American Iron Drone's platforms include:

  • Air-launch nets (from manned aircraft or prepared platforms) for mid-range capture
  • Ground-based projectile systems (shoulder-fired or fixed) for final-layer engagement
  • Tactical planning tools that integrate detection feeds to guide kinetic assets

In the Ondas ecosystem, Sentrycs feeds real-time drone location and threat classification to American Iron Drone's command interface, enabling rapid kinetic response when RF mitigation fails or is insufficient. This combination has been demonstrated at several European airport exercises and is now part of Ondas' pitch to critical infrastructure buyers.

Deployed Contracts and Operational Validation

European Airport Contracts: $16.4 Million

Sentrycs gained significant validation through airport security deployments across Europe. Between 2022 and 2025, the company secured contracts totaling $16.4 million with major European aviation authorities, including:

  • Airports in Germany and Austria (perimeter defense, approach corridor monitoring)
  • Southern European hub airports (Mediterranean regions with elevated UAS trafficking risk)
  • Scandinavia and Baltic region (cross-border UAS incursion monitoring)

These contracts reflected airport authorities' preference for:

  1. Non-kinetic mitigation (avoiding liability from falling projectiles near active runways)
  2. Protocol-level accuracy (minimizing false alarms that trigger air traffic disruptions)
  3. Embedded integration (feeding detection into existing airport security operations centers)

Operational metrics from these deployments indicated:

  • False alarm rate: 3–7% (acceptable for perimeter monitoring but notable for sensitive operations)
  • Drone detection range: 8–20 km depending on C2 signal power and antenna placement
  • Mean time to mitigation: 45–120 seconds from initial detection to C2 disruption
  • Successful C2 link disruption: 85–92% of detected threats (remaining failures attributed to hardened or non-standard C2 implementations)

Latin American Defense Deployment

Beyond airport security, Sentrycs technology has been deployed in Latin American defense and border-control operations. These deployments (location and specifics remain operational security restricted) leverage Sentrycs' protocol-level approach for detecting illicit drug trafficking drones, contraband runs, and hostile reconnaissance platforms.

The Latin American market preferred Sentrycs' approach because:

  1. Vendor neutrality (not tied to U.S. military supply chains, simplifying procurement and sovereignty concerns)
  2. Portuguese-language support and regional technical partnerships
  3. Jam-resistant mitigation (effective against modified or purpose-built trafficking drones that may lack sophisticated C2 encryption)

These deployments have not been formally publicized but are referenced in vendor briefs and analyst conversations as evidence of real-world operational traction beyond European civil aviation.

Market Position and Competitive Context

Differentiation from D-Fend Labs

D-Fend Labs, an Israeli competitor, focuses on RF-based detection with emphasis on autonomous vehicle identification (eliminating reliance on C2 signature recognition). Sentrycs and D-Fend diverged on architectural philosophy:

  • Sentrycs prioritizes C2-layer understanding, delivering protocol-level mitigation and high classification accuracy
  • D-Fend emphasizes platform-agnostic detection through RF behavior analysis, reducing dependence on protocol libraries

For airport and critical infrastructure buyers, Sentrycs' approach offers higher confidence in threat classification; for military and border operations, D-Fend's autonomy-resistant approach has gained ground.

Position Relative to Broader Platforms

Multi-sensor vendors (Fortem Technologies, Dedrone) layer RF detection with radar, visual, and acoustic data. Sentrycs remains RF-focused, treating multi-sensor integration as secondary. This creates:

  • Strength: Protocol-level precision, faster RF-to-mitigation latency, lower sensor cost
  • Weakness: Limited ability to detect autonomous or spoofed-C2 platforms, vulnerability to RF-silent operations

Ondas Integration Strategy

Ondas' acquisition and positioning of Sentrycs as part of a broader C-UAS stack (paired with American Iron Drone kinetic backup) suggests a diversification away from RF-only claims. The company is positioning itself as a "layered defense" provider—detection (Sentrycs), jamming (Sentrycs), and kinetic (American Iron Drone)—competitive with larger multi-layer vendors.

Limitations and Architectural Vulnerabilities

Protocol Dependence

Sentrycs' detection relies on recognizing known C2 protocols. As new platforms emerge (hobby FPV racing drones, custom-built platforms, military next-generation systems), protocol libraries require continuous updates. A sophisticated adversary can:

  1. Deploy unknown platforms not yet in Sentrycs' signature database
  2. Modify C2 implementations (frequency hopping parameters, encryption, packet structure)
  3. Use autonomous drones that carry C2 capability but operate for extended periods without operator contact

These vulnerabilities are not unique to Sentrycs but are more acute for protocol-dependent systems than for physics-based RF approaches (e.g., D-Fend's platform-agnostic method).

Autonomous Drone Vulnerability

A drone programmed to navigate entirely autonomously (via pre-loaded flight plan, visual navigation, or terrain-relative navigation) may emit minimal or no C2 signals during execution. Sentrycs' detection would fail or be severely delayed. This is a critical gap as autonomous platforms become more accessible and reliable.

Industry response: Sentrycs is investing in visual and IR-based autonomous detection as complementary layers, but this represents a retreat from the RF-only efficiency advantage.

Jamming Persistence and Re-engagement

Protocol-level jamming disrupts the operator-to-drone link, but does not prevent:

  1. Loss-of-signal autonomous response execution (return-to-home, land-in-place, or other pre-programmed behaviors)
  2. Link re-establishment after jamming ceases
  3. Hardened C2 encryption that resists protocol-level mitigation

Operators of sophisticated drones can design C2 stacks that degrade gracefully under jamming, switching to fallback protocols or executing secondary navigation. This limits Sentrycs' mitigation reliability against well-equipped adversaries.

Continuous Update Requirement

The company must maintain protocol libraries as new platforms proliferate. This creates:

  • Operational complexity: Customers must update software regularly
  • Delay vulnerability: New platforms are undetected until library updates are deployed
  • Support overhead: Sentrycs must monitor the open-source and commercial drone market continuously

For large-scale deployments (e.g., across a nation's airport system), library synchronization and version control become significant operational challenges.

Regulatory Uncertainty

Sentrycs operates in a regulatory gray zone. Its jamming capability may conflict with FCC or ICNIRP regulations in various jurisdictions, requiring:

  • Licensing and exemptions (adding procurement timelines)
  • Geo-fencing (limiting operational areas)
  • Formal risk-benefit authorization (higher bureaucratic friction than radar-based systems)

European airports have navigated this through regulatory exemptions, but expansion into other regions faces regulatory friction.

Product Roadmap and Future Direction

Ondas has signaled several product expansions:

  1. Multi-sensor integration (adding radar and visual confirmation to RF detection)
  2. Autonomous drone detection (through behavioral RF patterns and backup sensor fusion)
  3. Cloud-based threat correlation (feeding regional detection data into shared threat databases)
  4. Interoperability standards (preparing Sentrycs data feeds for integration with FAAD C2 and SAFER SKIES ecosystems)

These indicate recognition that protocol-level RF alone is insufficient for comprehensive C-UAS—a correction toward platform-agnostic and autonomous-resistant approaches.

Assessment and Procurement Implications

Strengths:- Proven European airport deployment and validation - Protocol-level precision reduces false alarm burden - Non-kinetic mitigation (regulatory and liability advantages) - Access to American Iron Drone kinetic backup through Ondas integration

Limitations:- Protocol library dependence and update burden - Vulnerable to autonomous and spoofed-C2 platforms - Jamming non-destructive (drone recovery/re-engagement risk) - Regulatory complexity in non-European jurisdictions - Positioned as niche complement, not standalone C-UAS solution

Procurement Recommendation:Sentrycs is best suited for organizations with: - Clear preference for non-kinetic mitigation - Existing European regulatory pathways - Integration capability for multi-layer (detection + kinetic) strategies - Tolerance for protocol library maintenance overhead

Organizations seeking platform-agnostic, autonomous-resistant, standalone C-UAS should evaluate alternatives (D-Fend Labs for RF autonomy resistance; Fortem or Dedrone for multi-sensor redundancy). Sentrycs excels as the detection and first-layer mitigation component of a structured layered defense program—not as a complete solution.

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