Citadel Scores Another Counter Drone Contract to Protect Military

Counter-drone company Citadel Defense has captured $4 million in government contracts from an undisclosed, American government agency in an effort to keep rogue drones – some piloted by terrorists – away from military operations.

Over the last few years, insurgent groups have begun using drones in combat environments to harm personnel and equipment in the field. Citadel deploys counter-drone systems to a global client base, offering protection from rogue drone missions such as drone attacks in Armenia and the Middle East.

AI-driven

The agency bought Citadel’s Titan system for pre-deployment training, mobile security, and fixed site protection. The system uses AI, machine learning and electronic countermeasures to prevent a nefarious drone from penetrating protected airspace.

The Titan system also generates a post mission analysis report that highlights threat activity patterns to equip ground command with mission-critical insights.

“Citadel’s advanced algorithms, artificial intelligence, and autonomous capabilities serve as a force multiplier when protecting against unmanned system threats in resource-constrained environments,” explained Christopher Williams, CEO of Citadel Defense.

Citadel has already released an AI-powered software suite company officials say will autonomously protect against threats from 98 percent of commercial off-the-shelf drones.

“Artificial intelligence is highly effective in electronic attack missions.  Getting the right data and recommendation to operators quickly enables the human-machine teaming that will be necessary to compete in future conflicts.”

Counter drone is big business

Earlier this year, Citadel inked a deal with Syzygy Integration to develop a custom solution for the U.S. Department of Defense and other federal government agencies. Company officials say the new application “accelerates situational awareness and coordinated responses to uncooperative drone activity around critical infrastructure, national special security events, military bases and the border.”

In February, an unnamed government agency signed a multi-million dollar contract with Citadel for the Titan system to “protect government assets – including ships, vehicles, robotic platforms, and military bases – from drone threats.”

Last year, Citadel launched a new AI and machine-learning software release for the Titan system. Company officials say the software-hardware combo represents an evolution of the tech after several months of “successful deployments across multiple combatant commands and hundreds of unique environments.”