{"id":13258,"date":"2026-07-01T18:43:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T18:43:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sawahsolutions.com\/range\/defense-business-brief-a-radar-makers-answer-to-the-drone-boom-the-armys-private-capital-appetite-one-lawmakers-caution-for-contractors\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T18:43:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T18:43:30","slug":"defense-business-brief-a-radar-makers-answer-to-the-drone-boom-the-armys-private-capital-appetite-one-lawmakers-caution-for-contractors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sawahsolutions.com\/range\/defense-business-brief-a-radar-makers-answer-to-the-drone-boom-the-armys-private-capital-appetite-one-lawmakers-caution-for-contractors\/","title":{"rendered":"Defense Business Brief: A radar-maker\u2019s answer to the drone boom; the Army\u2019s private capital appetite; One lawmaker\u2019s caution for contractors"},"content":{"rendered":"
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WASHINGTON\u2014<\/strong>The counterdrone industry is booming. So to keep up with\u2014and anticipate\u2014demands, radar-maker Echodyne wants to make 30,000 units a year by early 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The company, which is headquartered in Washington state, began building out a new facility near Seattle earlier this year and plans to have it up and running in July. The $40 million plant is expected to ultimately produce at least 30,000 radars a year\u2014an approximate five-fold increase.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur orders are far exceeding our production capacity, which is why we’ve launched into this new manufacturing facility,\u201d said Eben Frankeburg, the company\u2019s CEO. \u201cThe whole counterdrone problem today is that you have this massive number of cheap lethal drones, and you need a massive number of cheap lethal counterdrone systems to defend against those. And so, people want high-performance radars that are cost effective and can be deployed at a big scale, so that’s what we’re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Echodyne\u2019s radars can be found on all kinds of counter-UAS systems that can be affixed to combat vehicles, ships, and other devices across the defense industry.<\/p>\n

Construction timelines, which slated the facility to be fully built by 2028, have been sped up by about a year to meet and keep pace with future demand, Frankenburg said. There\u2019s a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new plant next week.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a multi-year plan for the build up of the facility, and we’re moving all that forward. So we originally had a build out in \u201826, \u201827, \u201828\u2014and now we’re doing all of [planned] \u201826 and \u201827 build out this year,\u201d with the goal of finishing by early 2027, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The facility will support about 200 employees and Echodyne\u2019s operations business, including supply chain manufacturing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

By 2027, the facility should be producing tens of thousands of radars annually. And could be the \u201cblueprint\u201d for future plants.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re shipping lots of radars to Europe. We’re also shipping radars to Southeast Asia, India,\u201d Frankenburg said. \u201cAnd we’re seeing just demand increase globally. So, this factory, this new facility represents what we think we need from a capacity perspective in the coming few years. But the other nice thing is it gives us a blueprint to potentially open in future locations,\u201d including internationally.<\/p>\n

Welcome<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve reached the Defense Business Brief, where we dig into what the Pentagon buys, who they\u2019re buying from, and why. Send along your tips, feedback, and song recommendations to lwilliams@defenseone.com<\/strong>. Check out the Defense Business Brief archive here<\/strong>, and tell your friends to subscribe<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

The Army\u2019s appetite for private capital. <\/strong>When asked (by me) if the service is considering public-private arrangements to build innovation centers or next-gen manufacturing facilities, Lynda Armer, the executive director of Army Contracting Command at Rock Island Arsenal said:<\/p>\n