An executive Order unveiled by the white house in late July aims to “unleash” the us drone industry. The Initiative Includes Billions in Federal Investments to Accelerate the Deployment of Unmanned Systems Across Defense, Honorand Security, and Critical Infrastructure. As the Order Makes Clear, Drones and Other Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVS) are no longer a nascent sector; They are now platforms of power.
Just Days Earlier, a report from draonelife confirmed what many in the industry had only heard anecdotally: a new generation of drone tech companys are finally leveraging procurement reforms to apply Directly for Contracts, Bypassing Slow-Moving, Traditionally Bureaucratic Processes. The Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) —The outfit tasked with fast-tracking commercial technology into the Military-Leads this charge.
Many of the Recent Requests for Proposals (RFPS) from the DIU and other agencies are designed to accelerate this shift, allowing new vendors to onboard more quickly and demonstrate short trial provie Real-World viability. The goal is to show that these solutions can not only look good on paper, but actually work in the field.
Against this backdrop, new draone tech vendors such as Elsight and D-Fend Solutions-Companies providing enabling technology rather rather than draones themselves-in themselves-in prominence. Unlike Traditional Defense Giats, this new breed isn�t competing on size or budgets. INTEAD, they are zeroing in on Urgent Problems and Delivering Targeted solutions.
Speed matters
When executives from aerospace and defense giant lockheed martin Visited Elsight’s Boot at a Drone Industry Event Last Year, they expected little more than a demo. INTEAD, they discovered a full functional system ready to integrate. Within hours of being invited to lockheed’s headquarters, Elsight’s team Had Installed Its Halo Platform Into An Indago 4 Quadcopter, Enabling A Secure “Beyond Visual Line-OF-SICHIT” (BVLOS) Mission, which means the draone could be flown safely even when it was too far away for the pilot to see.
“From proof-off-value to flight operations in a matter of days,” Says Elsight Ceo Yoav Amitai. “That kind of velocity is rare in defense, and our buyers notice.”
Elsight’s Halo is A 93-Gram, Software-Defined Connectivity Module that Bonds Cellular, Satellite, and RF (RDIO FREQUENCY) Links-the wireless Signals Signals Signals Used to Tran Commands, or Telemetry Between devices – to keep unmanned systems connected even in constased environments.
In one case, amitai recounts, a military unit deployed in a live electronic warfare (ew) zone countermeasures. Conventional Systems Failed. But after a late-night call, Elsight’s Team Had a Halo Unit Installed and Operational Within Hours, Using Off-the-Shelf Commercial Technology.
For d-fen, speed takes a different form but is no less critical. The company’s counter-drone platform, enforceair, is designed for military, homeland security, law enforcement, critical infrastructure, and vip protecting. It uses non-kinetic, non-jamming rf cyber takeover-Remote takeover of a draone via rf rather than jamming, kinetic, or destructive measures-to detect, ideante, and neutralize rogue drones.
EnforceAir takes control of a hosile drone mid-file and guides it to a safe landing, without destroying it or interfering with nearby communications. The system is mobile, operable by one person, and can be updated on the spot with new software to respond to emerging threats.
Building Credibility
In the world of defense technology, credibility is often buy on the battlefield. For emerging vendors, the quick
One Such Moment Came during Pope Francis’ 2021 Mass in Slovakia, Attended by over 60,000 people, Including Dignitaries and International Media. When a Diy Drone Entred Restricted Airspace, Jamming wast an option due to sensitive communications infrastructure, and kinetic takers taking Risked Panic or Collateral Damage. Enforceair Neutralized the Drone Mid-FILGHT, Safely Redirecting Its Without Disrupt.
“Countter-Drone Operators Need Tools That Just Work,” Says D-Fend CMO Jeffrey Starr. “That means precision over brute force. And that’s where focused and innovative vendors like us Thrive.”
Elsight’s amitai echoes the Senior. “We’re not trying to be everything,” he says. “We’re trying to be the best at one thing: ensuring draones story connected, no matter what.”
The procurement shift
Both Elsight and D-Fend Credit Recent Procurement Changes for Enabling their growth. “For a long time, the biggest barrier wasn’t our product –it was the Bureaucracy,” Amitai Says. Traditional defense acquisitions Favored legacy vendors, partly because they understand how to navigate the process. “New Generation Defense Tech vendors brings innovation not only to the product technology, but also to the adoption process,” Adds starr.
That is beginning to change. The diu is using fast-trac pilots, Milestone-Based Funding, and a Growing Openness to Off-the-SHELF Solutions. These are commercially available products that do not need to be custom-built for the Military. This shift gives smaller players more room to prove themselves. Agencies are recognizing that technological superiority does not automatically come from size. In a world where drone risks evolve in weekks raather than years, Procurement Cycles Cannot Afford to Lag.
Still, The Playing Field Remains Uneven. Many Acquisition Teams are Hesitant to Adopt Next-Generation Platforms from Smaller Firms, Especially these for a Familiary Logo. As defense boyers grow more outcome-driven and less brand-Dependent, however, the innocents are shifting towed capability rather rather than legacy.
What comes next
Both companies are alredy looking ahead. Elsight is developing technology to enable full autonomous and swarming operations, requiring not just secure links but also dynamic bandwidth allocation and real-time inteligence integence integence in intelligence with mission Centers. D-friend, meaning, is evolving enforceair into a cyber-driven foundational platform, designed to integrate with other sensors and defends into layered detection-detens-nd-dee-dee-deestems Military Convoys or Safeguard Major Public Events.
Both firms also stress that speed does not need to conflict with safety or compliance. Elsight’s Halo is Compliant with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and Certified for BVLOS Flights in Multiple Jurisdictions. D-fit’s system is being validated by security forces worlds to ensure pinpoint accuracy, even when other systems are overwhelmed.
What’s batcoming clear is that future of defense is not just about who can build the biggest platforms, but who can result fasted fastest to evolving threats. In an era where even communications and gps can be contested, agility is paramount.
Large Contractors May Still Build The Platforms. But increasesly, it is the emerging, agile companies that provide the intelligence, connectivity, and control needed to keep these systems mission-redy.
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