Following Saudi Attack, Citadel Garners USAF Counter-drone Contract

Counter-drone provider Citadel Defense Company is partnering with the U.S. Air Force to protect military assets from drone attacks.

The announcement comes on the heels of a recent attack on Saudi oil assets – partially by drone.

The Air Force will deploy the company’s Titan mobile anti-drone system. Citadel promise the purchase will give “confidence, readiness, and modernization to those protecting national security, preparing them for the [UAV] threat today and in the future.”

The contract represents the end game of an 18-month validation period by the U.S. departments of Defense and Homeland Security to determined Citadel’s “ability to detect, identify, and defeat drone threats [that is] operationally effective across many mission environments.”

“Feedback from 200-plus stakeholders uncovered unmet needs that existing [counter-drone] offerings did not address,” Citadel CEO Christopher Williams said.  “The solution must be capable of complete autonomous operation.  It must be easy to use with setup and takedown in minutes, not hours.”

https://youtu.be/FABqBLklWZg

“It must not require signal expertise or calibration to operate.  And it must be able to detect and defeat drones without disrupting tactical communications.  We built Titan to address those needs.”

The Titan system offers tech that detects drone controllers, video and Wi-Fi links for individual drones and swarms and can then neutralize the threat. The solution can be set up in about 5 minutes for deployment for military, government or commercial use.

The solution’s artificial intelligence and targeted jamming capabilities forces rogue drones to safely land, neutralizing military threats.

“Protecting the airspace while minimizing disruption or interference to surrounding equipment gives operators mission flexibility that never existed before.”

The contract is Citadel’s eighth award in as many months. Recently, the company signed an agreement to provide the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency counter-drone measures in support of Special Operations Command requirements.

“The USAF award highlights the advantages of a system that quickly adapts to new threats operating on common (2.4 GHz, 5.8 GHz) and hobbyist (433 MHz, 915 MHz, 1.2 GHz) communication links,” Williams added.

“Citadel customers, today and in the future, will be able to connect multiple Titan units to a secure network and expand their perimeter of protection across greater than 95 percent of commercially available drone threat profiles.”