PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J — More than 150 government and industry leaders convened at Picatinny Arsenal on April 28 for the Kinetic C-UAS Industry Day to forge critical partnerships and accelerate the development kinetic drone-defeat technologies to ensure U.S. warfighters maintain technological overmatch.
The summit centered on kinetic counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS), technologies engineered to detect, track and physically destroy hostile drones, distinct from non-kinetic systems that rely on electronic jamming or redirection.
Senior Scientific Technical Manager for Weapons and Software Engineering Tony Pezzano noted a desire to firmly establish the Armaments Center as a premier partner for kinetic C-UAS.
“We want to align the capabilities of our U.S. Government organizations with innovation and technology found in industry,” said Pezzano. “Defeating this threat requires a unified effort, and the partnerships we forge or strengthen today will directly impact the warfighter’s survivability and lethality tomorrow.”
Armaments Center Director Chris Grassano said during his opening remarks that the drone threat is rapidly multiplying and has moved beyond the “emerging” phase. To counter this, kinetic C-UAS solutions must prioritize three elements, effectiveness, affordability and the ability to swiftly transition from blueprint to battlefield deployment. Picatinny, he pointed out, is home to expert engineers and specialized labs, which industry can handily leverage.
The Armaments Center is prioritizing battlefield dominance to ensure that Soldiers never have to face a “fair fight.” Pezzano and his fellow co-organizer, C-UAS Thrust Area Manager David Goldstein, both took part in conversations afterwards to identify specific industry partners who could deliver the next generation of C-UAS technology, with a focus on efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
“Every base, vehicle, and warfighter needs a kinetic last line of defense that can keep pace with the evolving UAS technologies. It’s difficult to armor a drone so hard-kill solutions will always be needed,” said Goldstein.
By Tyler Barth
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