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25. July 2025
Diu Unveils Top 10 Innovators To Combat Rising Small Drone Threat
The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has taken a significant step in its efforts to counter the growing threat of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) by announcing the selection of ten finalists for the Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft System (C-sUAS) Low-Cost Sensing (LCS) challenge. The challenge, launched in May 2025, was designed to address a critical need: to complement existing sensor systems with affordable, distributed sensing technologies that can scale.
Protecting the homeland from small UAS threats requires broad situational awareness with reach, redundancy, and resiliency. The selected finalists represent a diverse range of sensor modalities, including radio frequency passive detection, active radar, acoustic, optical cameras, infrared cameras, and several mixed modality technologies. These companies, chosen against a rigorous set of criteria from 118 outstanding submissions, will move forward to demonstrate their sensor technologies during USNORTHCOM’s Falcon Peak exercise in September.
The selected finalists have the potential to deliver significant value compared to current DOD systems for key coverage areas, at a potential cost savings of 50-80 percent in total cost of ownership. “The evolving threat from unmanned aerial systems demands that we leverage every tool at our disposal – from cutting-edge commercial solutions to robust partnerships across government and industry,” said DIU Director Doug Beck. “This challenge directly supports DOD’s strategic priorities by tapping into non-traditional defense companies to develop scalable, cost-effective sensing solutions that help our forces at home and abroad to identify threats with the speed and fidelity needed to counter them.”
The LCS challenge is a significant step in the DIU’s efforts to accelerate innovation and reduce the time it takes for new technologies to reach the warfighter. By partnering with industry leaders and encouraging competition, the DIU aims to bring cutting-edge solutions to market more quickly and at a lower cost. These ten finalists represent the forefront of sensor innovation, demonstrating how diverse technological approaches can enhance our layered defense.
The selected finalists now advance to live demonstration and testing at USNORTHCOM’s Falcon Peak 25.2 exercise. Falcon Peak will provide a real-world test of these low-cost sensing solutions and the prize purse will be distributed based on performance at the event. Beyond the prize money, top performers may also be considered for follow-on opportunities, including Other Transaction (OT) agreements, a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), and direct transition into operational use.
The importance of the LCS challenge cannot be overstated. The threat from small UAS is growing rapidly, and the ability to detect and track these threats in real-time is critical for national security. By investing in innovative sensing technologies, the DIU aims to provide our forces with the tools they need to stay one step ahead of this evolving threat.
The selected finalists represent a diverse range of sensor modalities, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Radio frequency passive detection, for example, is a low-cost approach that can detect UAS signals without emitting any itself, making it an attractive option for widespread deployment. Active radar, on the other hand, uses high-powered radar pulses to detect and track UAS, providing higher accuracy but also increased costs.
Acoustic sensors, which use sound waves to detect UAS movement, offer a unique advantage in that they can operate in environments where radar or optical systems may be limited. Optical cameras, meanwhile, provide high-resolution images of UAS targets, allowing for more precise tracking and identification.
The selected finalists have demonstrated the potential of these sensing modalities to deliver significant value compared to current DOD systems. By leveraging the strengths of each approach and combining them in innovative ways, the selected finalists aim to provide our forces with a robust and effective sensing solution that can scale.
Ultimately, the LCS challenge represents a critical step forward in the DIU’s efforts to accelerate innovation and reduce the time it takes for new technologies to reach the warfighter. By partnering with industry leaders and encouraging competition, the DIU aims to bring cutting-edge solutions to market more quickly and at a lower cost. The selected finalists represent a critical step forward in this effort, and their innovative sensing solutions will play a crucial role in shaping the future of defense.
The impact of the LCS challenge will be felt across the DOD, from the battlefield to the home front. By providing our forces with the tools they need to detect and track UAS threats in real-time, the DIU aims to enhance national security and protect the homeland from this evolving threat.