Air Force Research Lab awards $500M contract for anti-drone tech
PAR Government Systems won a nearly $490 million contract to provide counter-small unmanned aerial system (C-aUAS) tech to the Air Force, the Department of Defense announced Sept. 24.
The contract, issued by the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), includes software, hardware and technical documentation from PAR, according to the release. The indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract is scheduled to run through August 31, 2029. PAR was the only contractor to apply.
Developing tech that can sense and deter against sUAS has been a priority for the military. Deployed units have been faced with evolving threats from often commercially available drones that can cary explosives and one day could be networked into swarms.
AFRL also recently received new C-sUAS tech from the Defense Digital Service. The lab runs a C-sUAS program dubbed Negation of Improvised Non-State Joint Aerial system, or “NINJA.”
