Leidos, Army DEVCOM Demonstrate C-sUAS Detection During MFIX 2024

Leidos and the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command demonstrated the effectiveness of a counter-small unmanned aerial system during the Maneuver and Fires Integration Experiment 2024, where they correctly tracked threats amid obstacles.

During the exercise, Leidos and DEVCOM Aviation and Missile Center’s Advanced Multilayer Mobile Force Protection team used the C-sUAS detector to track single drones and swarms without generating false negative or positive readings. After the system detected the hostile drones, it relayed data to the Army’s Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control architecture and the AM2FP team engaged in autonomous, multi-threat engagements and defeats.

The C-sUAS platform uses the Multifunction X-Band Radar, an X-band active electronically scanned array radar, and the Co-axial Unmanned Guided Autonomous Rotorcraft interceptor. The system is designed to counter Group 1 and 2 sUAS, Leidos said Monday.

The demonstration is part of the Army’s ongoing search for counter-drone capabilities amid the rise of UAS-based threats.

In July, the Army tested the CARPE Dronvm smartphone application, which can create a layered defense system by connecting existing command and control architectures. During the tests, CARPE Dronvm was able to capture images of target drones within a 50 km test area.

Earlier in July, the Army’s Joint C-sUAS Office hosted a demo event to test weapons and tools that can defeat Group 3 drones.