Everyone is really jumping on the drone dominance agenda.
This morning, Australian-American c-UAS company DroneShield announced that it’s massively expanding its R&D operations in the US. The company—which already has a branch in the US and works closely with the DoD—says it will invest “several million dollars” in its expansion in the next two years, US CEO Matt McCrann told Tectonic.
The company says that nearly 40 percent of its new hires will be software developers—their expansion in the US will be largely focused on building out AI-powered threat detection and sensor fusion capabilities. They’ll also deliver handheld and fixed-site c-UAS to the DoD and DHS.
Way down under: DroneShield has a bit of an interesting set-up: the company was founded in the US in 2014 by Brian Hearing and John Franklin, but (officially) moved to Australia and was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) in 2016. Their operations in the US and Europe are now fully owned subsidiaries of the Australian parent company.
Droneshield builds a whole range of counter-drone systems, both mobile and fixed, including:
- RfPatrol Mk2: A passive, wearable drone detector. Continuously scans for RF signatures from commercial and military UAVs, giving operators real-time alerts without emitting a signal of its own.
- DroneGun Mk4: A lightweight, handheld counter-UAS jammer. Disrupts control, video, and GPS links across multiple bands, forcing hostile drones to land safely or return to their operator.
- DroneGun Tactical: An extended-range handheld jammer. Two-handed system with higher output power than the Mk4, designed for perimeter defense and contested environments where reach matters.
- DroneSentry: A fixed-site, multi-sensor C-UAS solution. Integrates radar, RF detection, EO/IR cameras, and defeat options into a single platform for persistent protection of bases and infrastructure.
- SentryCiv: A civilian-focused variant of DroneSentry. Provides detection and tracking for airports, stadiums, and urban infrastructure, tailored for non-military security environments.
McCrann said that they’re most known for their drone guns—they’re pretty sexy looking, after all—but that they’re doing more and more work on the fixed sensor and jammer type stuff.
“We are doing more work on the fixed-site solutions, so more multi-sensors and more comprehensive solutions for like base defense or critical infrastructure protection,” he said, “We’ll see an uptick in that area, and this move supports that as well.”
Money, money, money: DroneShield has been pretty popular on the market down under. As of this morning, the company has a market cap of $2.9B AUD ($1.9B USD) and its shares are up 169 percent in the past year. According to a release last week, the company has officially surpassed 4,000 units sold worldwide.
Also last week, they announced that they’ve secured a new $7.9M contract for handheld c-UAS with the US DoD, which they expect to deliver in Q4 2025. Other government contracts include:
- In June, the company announced three standalone contracts totaling $61.6M to sell handheld systems to European militaries.
- In April, DroneShield secured five standalone contracts to military customers in the Indo-Pacific for both vehicle-mounted and fixed c-UAS systems.
- They’ve also got a roughly $3.3M contract with the Australian Defence Force for handheld detection and jamming equipment.
With the expansion in the US, McCann says the company plans to double down on its US customer base and diversify to other areas beyond defense, like public safety and critical infrastructure. They’re also planning to expand their current facility in Virginia and build a new R&D facility nearby—though the exact location is TBD.
“The US has always played a key role in DroneShield’s history and growth,” he said, “Historically, the US market has represented about 70-75 percent of [the company’s] overall business…we still see the US market as the largest market for our products and solutions.”
Buddy up: DroneShield already has partnership agreements with companies including Epirus, Echodyne, Teledyne, and Bosch. But McCann hinted that the company was open to teaming up with more—and even acquiring some if the stars aligned.
“We are keeping our eyes open to strategic partnerships and potentially acquisitions,” he said. The company plans to grow through “expansions in key markets like the US and Europe…[and] through partnerships with technology partners and…strategic partners.”