In the first of a regular series, Unmanned Airspace identifies some of the surprising and significant operational, technical, corporate and market events which have transformed the counter-UAS sector over the last two months. The review coincides with the publication of the latest update (published today) of the Global Counter UAS Industry Directory, which itemises over 1,000 C-UAS products and services with performance details, company sales and partnerships arrangements.
Operational updates
Russia continues to develop its Shahed-136 drone, according to Ukrainian media reports, to carry man-portable air defence missile systems (MANPADS) which ground based pilots can deploy to ward off attacks from aircraft and intercept missiles. The Kolomna-based Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering (KBM) has patented a new active protection system designed to protect Russian armoured vehicles from attack drones, according to Army Recognition, while Defender Media reports Russian developers have announced the creation of a fibre-optic communication channel for integration into FPV drone control systems, with a claimed range of up to 65 km. Directed energy weapons should not be a near-term investment focus for Ukraine, according to a Rand report. “Whilst DEWs are an appealing technological pursuit which can affect multiple targets at once and reduce reliance on munitions, these systems present significant practical limitations for Ukraine,” said the report. Mexican drug cartels are in the process of acquiring FPV fibre-optic drones.
Elsewhere, a new US counter-drone body, Joint Interagency Task Force 401, has been set up to mitigate drone attacks at the 2026 World Cup co-hosted by the United States and the 2028 Olympics (see also, “spending plans”).
In November, The Dutch Ministry of Defence launched its Counter Strike Drone Challenge for industry to develop new ways to spot, identify or disable threatening drones even if they are in enemy territory.
Technology developments
Artificial intelligence continues to make inroads into the C-UAS industry, not only in the technology of C-UAS systems. In November 2025 Omnisys introduced its BRO™ (Battle Resource Optimization) C-UAS system, to help airport organizations mitigate the growing threat of unauthorized and hostile drones. Using physics-aware modeling and live environmental data, it guides decision-makers in configuring systems for maximum protection while reducing unnecessary shutdowns.” Also in November 2025 SkySafe launched Forensics as a Service (FaaS), a turnkey capability that enables law enforcement agencies, public safety teams and organisations to independently respond to and investigate drone incidents and FliteGrid, a community-powered decentralized drone detection platform that tracks the millions of drones in America’s airspace – creating the nation’s first comprehensive drone tracking network, says the company.
In December 2025 VisionWave Technologies Inc announced that it has begun R&D on Argus, a space-enabled AI counter C-UAS created in collaboration with BladeRanger to defend against modern unmanned aircraft threats. According to the company it is designed as a global counter-drone kill chain that operates from space and uses high-frequency (HF) communications to coordinate defence assets across wide areas.
Meanwhile, defence industries around the world are looking at news ways of arming conventional aircraft with C-UAS capabilities. Both Russia and Ukraine are using general aviation Yak aircraft inthis role. In November 2025 Embraer announced that the A-29 Super Tucano is expanding its mission portfolio to counter modern unmanned threats effectively and affordably. “Relying on A-29 features in operation and new sensors, including specific datalinks for receiving initial target coordinates and queueing, the Electro-Optical/ Infra-Red (EO/IR) sensor for laser tracking and designation, as well as the laser guided rockets and the wing-mounted .50 machine guns for neutralizing targeted Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), the Operational Concept (CONOPS) defined by Embraer will allow current and future A-29 operators to add counter drone missions to their operational profiles whenever needed,” said the company in a press release. Around EUR 15 million has been set aside in the new European Defence Fund budget for the development of a Future Multirole Light Aircraft (FMLA) with a counter-UAS capability
Acquisitions
In November Ondas Holdings entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Sentry CS Ltd, an Israel-based provider of cyber-over-RF and protocol-manipulation counter-drone technology. EOS announced it will buy the UK’s MARSS C-UAS Interceptor business for AUD10 million. Denmark’s Terma A/S has completed the acquisition of OSL Technology, a UK-based provider of counter-drone security and safety systems. Indra Group has reached an agreement with the UK-based Altitude Angel to acquire the assets related to GuardianUTM, its modular unmanned air traffic management C/UAS platform.
Partnerships
Axon Vision and Leonardo DRS have agreed to cooperate on AI-enabled C-UAS technologies. Ondas, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen will partner to examine the establishment of European manufacturing and integration capacity across Ondas’ autonomous systems portfolio, including C-UAS technology. Boeing and Anduril will partner for US Army IFPC Increment 2 interceptor competition. BigBear and C Speed are forming AI-enabled threat detection partnership. In December, Microsoft and Lockheed Martin announced they would be jointly developing C-UAS solutions. Lockheed Martin’s Sanctum’s modular, scalable architecture will be integrated with the Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure. Rheinmetall and MBDA have announced plans to establish a joint venture for their naval laser activities. Northrop Grumman Corporation and 4iG Space and Defence Technologies Ltd have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to deepen transatlantic cooperation by exploring collaboration in C-UAS, space and advanced weapons technologies.
Spending plans
Poland has started the first stage of installing a USD2 billion multi-layered C-UAS defence system on its eastern border, while India is establishing a similar network along its border with Pakistan, The initiative aims to monitor all drone movements and integrate various counter-drone systems acquired by the three defence services over the last 5-10 years. India’s Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) have decided to deploy anti-drone systems at all major and minor civil airports in the country.
The UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) will inject over UKP142 million (USD 190) million rapid investment into drones and anti-drone weapons this year. The Dutch Ministry of Defence has said it will be investing heavily in new resources to combat drones in the coming years and is accelerating the order for the Skyranger 30 to include mobile anti-drone cannon systems to protect critical infrastructure, such as the Port of Rotterdam. The Ministry is investing in new technologies, including interceptor drones designed to disable enemy versions by colliding with them or detonating them. The total investment is between EUR 1 and EUR 2.5 billion.
The United States’ Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced several grant awards under its counter-uncrewed aerial systems programme, which provides funding to enhance state, local, tribal and territorial capabilities to detect, identify, track or monitor drones. The total funding available for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 is USD 250 million. A further USD250 million, plus any unallocated funds from FY 2026, will be distributed to all states and territories in FY 2027 to support nationwide UAS detection and response capabilities.
The 2026 Unmanned Airspace Global Counter-UAS Systems Directory is now available. The Guide is the world’s only comprehensive, continually updated directory of global C-UAS companies and systems. It itemises over 1,000 C-UAS products and services with performance details, company sales and partnerships arrangements. It is updated every month and broken down into niche sub-sectors (net-capture, missiles, intercept drones, detectors etc) to give C-UAS procurement and industry personnel a unique perspective of global C-UAS technical capabilities and market positions. It is available in word, PDF and excel formats and Unmanned Airspace readers are eligible for a range of discounts. For more information about the Directory please contact the editor Philip Butterworth-Hayes at philip@unmannedairspace.info.