Inside the Pentagon’s New Handbook on Countering Drones

Inside the Pentagon’s new handbook on countering drones

This week, the Pentagon published a comprehensive yet practical guide to help non-experts understand the threat drones pose as well as ways to avoid and prevent attacks. Brig. Gen. Matthew Ross, the director of the Joint Interagency Task Force 401, the Defense Department’s lead organization for countering drones, described the handbook as “not a technical manual or detailed set of rules” but rather “a common foundation to shape our collective ap…

Defense Contract Roundup: Avion Solutions Wins $87.2M Army Contract

A Huntsville small business tops this week’s list of defense contracts with its $87.2 million contract from the Army. Avion Solutions received the $87,223,150 firm-fixed-price contract for engineering and program management services. The Army Contracting Command on Redstone Arsenal is the contracting activity. The company was recently named the 2026 Employee-Owned Company of the Year by the Southeast Chapter of The Employee Stock Ownership Plan …

JIATF 401 Releases Handbook on Countering Drone Threats

JIATF 401 released a handbook to build a shared understanding of counter-drone operations The guide captures lessons from recent operations in the Middle East and Europe The publication recommends a layered defense as the most effective approach to counter illicit drones Joint Interagency Task Force 401 published a handbook titled “Small Drones, Big Problems: A […] The post JIATF 401 Releases Handbook on Countering Drone Threats first appeared o…

U.S. Army Awards AeroVironment a $500 Million Contract for Layered Counter-Drone Defense Systems

The U.S. Army has awarded AeroVironment a $500 million contract for layered counter-drone defense systems. This three-year IDIQ deal was announced on July 1 and will enable the Army to rapidly field new commercial sensors, jammers, lasers, and interceptor missiles to protect troops and bases from small hostile UAVs. Under the Army-led JIATF-401 Domestic Shield program, AV’s systems will cover both fixed sites and mobile units as overlapping defe…