As reports of airport disruptions or unwanted drone presence over public areas continue to increase, so does the counter drone technology sector.  Traditional methods of protecting areas against intruders repeatedly fail when it comes to drones: authorities all over the world have tried tracking them down with helicopters, vans, and guns to no avail.  It takes sophisticated new technology to address sophisticated new technology – and that’s what the counter drone industry provides.

The costs of rogue drones are high.  Recent airport closures in Germany affected high government officials: the 2018 Gatwick closure’s costs have been estimated at $65 million.   The cost – and the chaos – of drone incursions have led governments to race to evaluate and implement counter drone systems capable of effectively preventing them.  The counter drone sector is booming.

In what CEO Christopher Williams calls “a breakthrough contract” for the company, CA-based Citadel Defense has just landed a $9.2 million contract to defend against hostile drones.  Citadel has quietly become a leading player in the market, winning multiple high level deals – the kind they can’t really talk about.  But while the client remains unnamed, the contract amount demonstrates the high value that government and industrial customers are placing on airspace security.

The following is a Citidel press release.

Citadel Defense Lands $9.2M Defense Contract to Take Down Hostile Drones

Citadel Defense’s Titan system delivers combat-proven force protection for sUAS threats and swarms

San Diego, CA – Malicious use of small drones continues to impact military, government, and commercial operations.  After extensive testing, evaluation, and operational assessments from over two dozen customer groups, Citadel Defense has received $9.2M in orders for their industry-proven C-UAS capabilities since the beginning of the year.

Citadel’s Titan C-UAS technology will be used to protect high-value assets in urban, rural, and maritime environments.  In austere and uncertain environments, operator’s trust Citadel’s autonomous, full-spectrum protection to accurately detect and defeat threat sUAS targets before they become a threat.

“Drones are an asymmetric threat that require unprecedented speed for innovation.  Citadel’s AI-capabilities and responsiveness give customers a cost-effective option that addresses a very large portion of the sUAS threat,” said Christopher Williams, CEO of Citadel Defense.  “Strong Warfighter references and combat-proven results over the last two years helped secure this order.”

As new drones are released to the market, Titan systems receive new software to address the new threats.  If Titan’s AI algorithms do not detect the threat right away, the company explained that it can deliver an end-to-end capability in 72 hours for most drones and less than 4 weeks for the most complex drone signals.   The use of AI, deepnets, and adaptive countermeasures provide Titan with scalable force protection that can address the needs of the small unit, a large base, or mobile vehicle.

“We prioritize safety, security, and a clear airspace above all else,” Williams explains.  “Our AI approach allows us to quickly address new threats without the risks or uncertainty that comes with hacking the drone link.  Citadel is able to reliably keep customers ahead of the ever-evolving threat faster than other solutions in the market.”

The company’s Titan system is now being effectively integrated into layered solutions that combine radar, optics, and kinetic countermeasures to help customers detect, identify, track, defeat, and report on threat sUAS.

For more information about Citadel’s contract awards, visit DroneCitadel.com.