On Wednesday, February 11, 2026, the U.S. company Echodyne announced the opening of a new large-scale production facility for its multi-mission 4D MESA radars in the state of Washington. The 40 million USD investment in the 8,022 m² (86,350 sq ft) production and warehouse facility, employing more than 200 staff and scheduled to become operational this summer, will enable the company to reach an annual production capacity of more than 30,000 radars across multiple product lines.
Photo: Echodyne
The company’s modular manufacturing approach will allow it to flexibly adjust production capacity to meet varying demand across different product lines, while also enabling the seamless introduction of new product lines and capabilities. The investment reflects Echodyne’s continued commitment to enhancing safety and security as unmanned systems become increasingly prevalent both on the battlefield and in society at large.
In addition, the company aims to proactively respond to growing demand in the United States and allied countries worldwide, while strengthening the U.S. defense industrial base.
As emphasized, demand is driven by the rising importance of counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) operations, beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) capabilities for military personnel and law enforcement and border security officers, hence the need for high-resolution radar surveillance of both air and surface domains.
Echodyne’s multi-mission 4D MESA (Metamaterials Electronically Scanned Array) radars are therefore well suited to support C-UAS programs by extending the range of optical sensors for “observe object” functions and enabling reliable, precise tracking of platforms and effectors. Based on the principle that data fidelity is critical to mission success in C-UAS operations, Echodyne radars generate highly accurate data for detecting, tracking, targeting, and countering hostile unmanned systems.
The company’s portfolio includes the EchoShield radar operating in the Ku band (15.4–16.6 GHz), EchoGuard and EchoGuard CR operating in the K band (18–27 GHz), as well as EchoFlight for aviation applications.
Echodyne is a U.S.-based designer and manufacturer of advanced commercial radar systems for defense, government, and commercial applications. Headquartered in Kirkland, Washington, the privately held company is backed by investors including Bill Gates, NEA, Madrona Venture Group, Baillie Gifford, Northrop Grumman, and Supernal.
Eben Frankenberg, the CEO of Echodyne, commented:
“We are proud to be opening this new facility in Washington State, the location of our headquarters and a long-time global hub for tech innovation and advanced manufacturing. The extraordinary performance of MESA radar stands in marked contrast to the purposeful simplicity of its design, making high-fidelity radar broadly accessible for defense and civilian safety and security applications. This new investment in manufacturing capacity will allow us to supercharge production to meet the rapidly growing global demand for our products.”
See also:
- USA: First partial photographs of the M1E3 tank
- Echodyne to integrate the MESA radar with the Paladin drone
- Echodyne and Poland’s Military Institute collaborate on integrating counter-drone radar into unmanned ground vehicles
- Digital Force Technologies Selects Echodyne Radar for Seraphim Counter-UAS Family of Systems
- Echodyne Launches EchoWare to Simplify Advanced Radar Integration