On Tuesday, 2 December 2025, the U.S. company Echodyne announced that it had been selected by Zone 5 Technologies as the supplier of MESA radars for Paladin unmanned aerial vehicles, which are used to intercept other drones.
Photo: Zone 5 Technologies
Zone 5 Technologies, a drone and technology development company founded in 2011 and based in San Luis Obispo, California, has selected Echodyne as the radar supplier for its Paladin Low Collateral Effects Interceptor (LCEI) drone. Paladin is an autonomous drone designed to intercept other unmanned aerial systems, equipped with a rapidly swappable payload and an advanced battle-management system that neutralizes UAS threats, the first drone of its kind to appear on the U.S. Department of Defense’s Blue UAS Cleared List.
With hostile drone threats evolving rapidly, precise detection, tracking, and neutralization of enemy UAS is critical for force protection and mission success. Paladin required a radar sensor capable of providing highly accurate airspace data while maintaining minimal size, weight, and power requirements. Zone 5 Technologies selected the MESA radar, in its EchoFlight airborne variant, due to its ideal combination of ultra-low size/weight factor and excellent performance, which enables Paladin to navigate and operate effectively in the airspace.
“The UAS threat is evolving at an unprecedented pace on today’s battlefield. At Zone 5, our mission is to provide warfighters with Counter-UAS solutions that protect them not only from today’s challenges, but from the threats of tomorrow.” said Zone 5 Technologies Director of Multi-Mission Systems, Kyle Woo. “Echodyne has consistently delivered on their promise—radars with unmatched reliability, superior performance, and the adaptability to keep pace with our adversaries.”
Radar mounted at the front of the interceptor, Echodyne’s airborne MESA radar EchoFlight, will deliver extremely accurate air-space situational awareness data, enabling precise tracking of adversary drones. The company also deploys ground-based systems using the medium-range radar EchoShield, which is designed to detect and accurately track all low-altitude UAS, thus providing Paladin with situational awareness and facilitating decision-making.
As stated by “Echodyne is excited to work alongside Zone 5 to improve mission outcomes and enhance warfighter safety in a rapidly evolving battlefield flooded with drone threats.” said Eben Frankenberg, CEO of Echodyne. “As the UAS threat continues to evolve and become more sophisticated, integrating Echodyne radars with cutting-edge solutions like Zone 5’s Paladin is how we win on the modern battlefield.”
Echodyne’s multi-mission 4D MESA (Metamaterials Electronically Scanned Array) radars are ideally suited to support C-UAS programs, extending the reach of optical sensors for target observation and enabling reliable, highly precise tracking of platforms and effectors. Built on the premise that data fidelity is critical to the success of C-UAS missions, Echodyne radars generate the most accurate data for detecting, tracking, targeting, and defeating adversary unmanned systems.
The company’s product portfolio includes EchoShield radars operating in the Ku band (15.4–16.6 GHz), EchoGuard and EchoGuard CR radars operating in the K band (18–27 GHz), as well as EchoFlight for airborne applications.
Echodyne is a U.S. company specializing in the design and production of advanced commercial radar systems for defense, government, and commercial use. Headquartered in Kirkland, Washington, the company is privately owned and backed by investors including Bill Gates, NEA, Madrona Venture Group, Baillie Gifford, Northrop Grumman, and Supernal.
The Paladin Low Collateral Effects Interceptor was developed under contract with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) as an autonomous wingman platform designed for kinetic interception of small Group 1 and Group 2 drones using the Skynet strike module.
Based on a press release
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