Officials from the U.S. Army Armaments Center said the summit was intended to align government capabilities with innovations developed by industry partners. The center is seeking to expand cooperation with companies working on next-generation counter-drone technologies to maintain what it described as a technological advantage on the battlefield.
“We want to align the capabilities of our U.S. Government organizations with innovation and technology found in industry,” said Tony Pezzano, Senior Scientific Technical Manager for Weapons and Software Engineering. “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.”
During opening remarks, Armaments Center Director Chris Grassano said the threat posed by drones has expanded rapidly and is no longer considered an emerging issue. He said effective kinetic C-UAS solutions must combine operational effectiveness, affordability and the ability to move quickly from development to battlefield deployment.
Grassano also highlighted Picatinny Arsenal’s engineering expertise and specialised laboratory capabilities, which industry partners can use in support of development efforts. The Armaments Center said it is prioritising battlefield dominance to ensure that U.S. soldiers do not face what officials described as a “fair fight.”
Pezzano and C-UAS Thrust Area Manager David Goldstein later held discussions with industry representatives to identify potential partners capable of delivering efficient and cost-effective counter-drone systems. Officials said the effort is focused on advancing the next generation of kinetic C-UAS technologies.
“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,” Goldstein said.
