DroneShield wins a US counter-drone contract as the Pentagon's C-UAS task force scales up
The Pentagon's central counter-drone body is funding repeat buys, and a small specialist is scaling into a procurement line the drone war built.
The Pentagon's central counter-drone body is funding repeat buys, and a small specialist is scaling into a procurement line the drone war built.
DroneShield has received a $24.9 million contract supporting the US Department of War's Joint Interagency Task Force 401, the counter-drone specialist announced June 2. The deal carries an initial value of $19.3 million plus $5.6 million in options over five years, for mobile and fixed-site systems with hardware, subscriptions, warranties and services, the company said, with deliveries running through 2026 and 2027.
That was one of two awards the same day. Per Inside Unmanned Systems, JIATF-401 issued DroneShield roughly $33 million in counter-drone business on June 2, the second piece a $13.8 million order to protect the southern border for Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection, with DroneShield as lead integrator for sensors from Echodyne, Silentium and Sentrycs.
JIATF-401 is the Department of War's lead body for synchronizing counter-drone work across the Joint Force, and its contract framework can spend past $500 million, Inside Unmanned Systems wrote. The award landed less than two weeks after the task force announced a separate $500 million counter-drone deal at SOF Week. "Our single measure of effectiveness is rapidly providing our warfighters and security personnel with effective counter-UAS capabilities," JIATF-401 director Brig. Gen. Matt Ross said in a statement carried by Inside Unmanned Systems.
The DroneShield Ltd (ASX:DRO) share price rose more than 3 percent on the news, Rask Media said, and at least $10 million of the contract counts as committed revenue for the company's 2026 financial year. DroneShield builds the radio-frequency sensors and jammers that detect and defeat small drones, the threat now driving counter-drone spending from front lines to airports, Rask Media noted.
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Subscribe Free →The buys are recurring now, not one-offs. JIATF-401's framework can spend past half a billion dollars, and DroneShield is already a name inside it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did DroneShield win?
DroneShield announced on June 2, 2026 a $24.9 million contract supporting the US Department of War's Joint Interagency Task Force 401, with an initial value of $19.3 million plus $5.6 million in options over five years for mobile and fixed-site counter-drone systems, the company said.
Was there more than one contract?
Yes. Per Inside Unmanned Systems, JIATF-401 issued DroneShield roughly $33 million across two awards on June 2, the second a $13.8 million counter-drone order for the southern border, with DroneShield as lead integrator for Echodyne, Silentium and Sentrycs.
What is JIATF-401?
It is the US Department of War's lead organization for synchronizing counter-drone, or counter-UAS, efforts across the Joint Force. DroneShield said the task force helps allies and partners rapidly acquire counter-drone capability, and Inside Unmanned Systems noted its contract framework carries a ceiling above $500 million.
What does DroneShield make?
DroneShield designs radio-frequency sensors and jammers that detect, classify and defeat small drones, sold to military, government, law enforcement and critical-infrastructure customers, according to Rask Media.
How did the market react?
The DroneShield Ltd (ASX:DRO) share price rose more than 3 percent after the announcement, Rask Media said, with at least $10 million of the contract booked as committed revenue for the 2026 financial year.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.
Marcus Schuler
Marcus Schuler edits BattlePolicy, a daily defense-technology brief connecting the companies and capabilities behind modern war to the contest among Europe, the US, Russia, and China.