The Joint Interagency Task Force 401 of the U.S. Department of Defense, referred to as the U.S. Department of War by the Trump administration, recently announced it had awarded a three-year $500 million contract to support counter-unmanned aerial system operations.
The agreement, officials said, accelerates the War Department’s capacity to deploy and scale low-cost, attritable air-to-air drone interceptors to protect warfighters and power projection platforms. Awarded to Perennial Autonomy for a range of artificial intelligence-enabled counter-UAS, including Merops interceptors, Bumblebee quadcopters and Hornet midrange strike drones.
Officials said the systems integrate detection, tracking and engagement capabilities using computer vision, radio frequency sensing, jam-resistant communications, and autonomous targeting, while leaving warfighter decision-making authority over the use of lethal force. The platforms are a key defense against adversary drones and provide commanders with multiple options to respond to threats.
“[The task force] continues to advance our counter-drone capabilities by fielding systems that can operate across multiple domains and integrate with existing command and control architectures,” Army Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, JIATF 401 director, said. “This partnership provides the joint force with state-of-the-art, counter-UAS capability to remain lethal on today’s modern battlefield.”
Officials said the contract accelerates the acquisition of proven systems and ensures that top tier technologies can be rapidly scaled and sustained in response to evolving threats.
The three-year contract is an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract, officials said.
Perennial Autonomy is a startup founded by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and has been building its systems through testing in Silicon Valley as well as operational environments abroad, including Ukraine.