Echodyne, a Kirkland, Washington-based radar technology company, has been selected as the radar provider for the Australian Defence Force’s Project Land 156, a major counter-drone initiative to protect troops from emerging unmanned aircraft threats.
Project participant EOS Australia already integrates Echodyne’s radar into its Slinger counter-drone remote weapon system, the company said in its Thursday announcement. Leidos Australia is leading the program’s systems integration, receiving a $30 million contract from Canberra in August. Other vendors include Acacia Systems, L3Harris Technologies and Department 13.
What is Project Land 156?
Australia’s Defence Ministry has committed $848 million to develop Land 156 capabilities over the next decade, with most of the work performed locally. The program is expected to sustain over 160 jobs and create up to 80 new positions, according to Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy, who called counter-drone technology “critical to keeping ADF members safe.”
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Reliable Precision Targeting
Echodyne’s META radar systems are designed for counter-unmanned aircraft missions, offering high-fidelity data for detecting, tracking and targeting drones. The platforms support “eyes-on-object” tracking with integrated optical sensors for reliable precision targeting.
Beyond defense, the company also markets its radar systems as commercial off-the-shelf products.
“We are pleased to be selected as part of the Leidos Australia team for the Australian Defence Force counter-UAS project, Land 156,” said Eben Frankenberg, CEO of Echodyne. “As C-UAS solutions become ever more critical to mission success and dismounted soldier safety, Echodyne’s COTS architecture allows us to quickly respond to increasing global demand for our advanced MESA radar systems.”