Startup Awarded Contract for AI-Based Counter-Drone System

Citadel Defense photo

Citadel Defense, a San Diego-based startup, recently received a multi-million dollar contract from the Pentagon for its artificial intelligence-based counter-unmanned aerial system technology.

The military is facing a growing threat as adversaries develop and purchase inexpensive and potentially lethal drones. To counter them, agencies are investing in a number of defensive platforms to knock out enemy UAS.

Citadel Defense was awarded a contract from the Defense Department in March for its Titan jammer capability following a competitive evaluation of two dozen counter-small unmanned aircraft systems.

“Titan was developed at a time where other systems … were proven to be ineffective or unusable with the threat downrange,” said Christopher Williams, CEO of the company. “We developed it alongside the Special Operations Forces community … to effectively address the mission.”

Titan is an AI-powered system designed to take out small UAS. It can operate fully autonomously while using machine learning and a radio frequency sensor to detect, track and defeat enemy drones, according to the company.

During the competition, Titan proved to be highly effective in dense urban environments, causing little disruption to surrounding electronics, Williams said.

The system can be used for fixed, mobile or dismounted operations and weighs about 20 pounds, he noted.

Titan also performed well when presented with unpredictable scenarios such as drone swarms, the company said.

The technology can protect ships, vehicles, robotic platforms and bases from small-UAS threats.

Under the contract, Citadel Defense was set to deliver “dozens” of platforms starting in the beginning of March, Williams said.

At the end of March, Citadel Defense won a $5 million follow-on contract from the Defense Department for the capability.

Topics: Robotics, Robotics and Autonomous Systems