Counter-Drone Task Force Taps Directed Energy Systems for December Shoot-Off

TL;DR

The Pentagon’s Joint Interagency Task Force 401 has selected four directed-energy weapons systems from AeroVironment, Epirus, Kord Technologies, and Boeing for a December counter-drone pilot program shoot-off at Dugway Proving Ground. The pilot is congressionally mandated under the 2026 NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) and will evaluate high-energy laser and microwave systems for defending military installations, with operational assessments planned at five military bases. The selection signals meaningful near‑term contract and production opportunities in the counter-UAS directed energy market; Epirus and AeroVironment already have recent large awards noted in open reporting. Contractors in aerospace & defense manufacturing, counter-UAS, and installation defense should prioritize capture activity, compliance readiness for export and defense contracting regimes, and rapid proposal prep. Use Cabrillo Signals to monitor follow‑ons, rescore pipelines, and route compliance checks through Proposal Studio to accelerate bid/no-bid and proposal assembly. Immediate actions in the next 48 hours should focus on capture notification, capability gap analysis, and setting alerts for solicitations and OTA activity.

Key Points

• What happened: Joint Interagency Task Force 401 selected directed-energy weapons systems from AeroVironment, Epirus, Kord Technologies, and Boeing for a December counter-drone pilot shoot-off at Dugway Proving Ground to test high-energy laser and microwave systems under a congressionally-mandated pilot program in the 2026 NDAA.
• Who is affected: DOD; Army; Joint Interagency Task Force 401; NAICS 336414, 334511, 541712, 541330, 336411; market segments including Defense, Directed Energy Weapons, Counter-UAS/Counter-Drone, High-Energy Lasers, Microwave Weapons Systems, Installation Defense, and Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing.
• Timeline: December shoot-off at Dugway Proving Ground; operational assessments planned at five military bases.
• What contractors should do NOW: notify capture and BD teams, run capability gap and compliance checks against ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations)/DFARS (Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement)/CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification)/NIST 800-171 (NIST Special Publication 800-171)/EAR, map offerings to the listed NAICS codes and market segments, set saved searches and alerts in Cabrillo Signals for OTA and NDAA 2026 pilot follow-ons, and begin populating Proposal Studio templates and compliance matrices for rapid response.

Who Is Affected

This event reshapes near-term sourcing and capture priorities for contractors that design, build, integrate, or support directed-energy and counter-UAS systems, as well as suppliers in power management, beam control, RF/microwave subsystems, and installation defense integration. Specific NAICS codes, agencies, contract vehicles, and compliance regimes named in segmentation include:

• NAICS: 336414, 334511, 541712, 541330, 336411
• Agencies: DOD; Army; Joint Interagency Task Force 401
• Contract vehicles: NDAA 2026 Pilot Program; Other Transaction Authority (OTA)
• Compliance surfaces: ITAR; DFARS; CMMC; NIST 800-171; EAR

For guidance on federal capture strategy and compliance preparation, consult the primary hub: Winning Federal Contracts Guide (/insights/winning-federal-contracts) and related references such as the CMMC Compliance Guide (/insights/cmmc-compliance-guide) and CUI (Controlled Unclassified Information)-Safe CRM Guide (/insights/cui-safe-crm-guide).

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Which companies’ systems were selected for the shoot-off?

A: Four directed-energy weapons systems from AeroVironment, Epirus, Kord Technologies, and Boeing were selected for the December shoot-off at Dugway Proving Ground.

Q: Is this pilot program required by Congress?

A: Yes — the pilot program is described as congressionally-mandated under the 2026 NDAA.

Q: Are there existing contract awards tied to these suppliers?

A: Reported awards include an Epirus $43.5M Army contract and an AeroVironment $465M production contract for related systems. Details on follow-on solicitations or additional awards are pending source review.

Definitions

• Directed energy weapons: Systems that emit focused energy in the form of lasers or microwaves to disable or destroy targets; used here for counter-drone missions.
• High-energy laser: A class of directed-energy system that uses concentrated optical energy to engage targets.
• Microwave systems: Directed-energy systems that use high-power microwaves to disrupt or disable electronic components and sensors.
• Pilot program / shoot-off: A structured test and evaluation event where multiple systems are demonstrated and assessed under operational conditions.

Intelligence Response

• Cabrillo Signals War Room — Already detected this event and delivered this briefing. Continuously monitors regulatory changes, contract vehicles, and policy shifts.
• Cabrillo Signals Match Engine — Automatically rescores opportunity pipelines when events like this shift the competitive landscape.
• Cabrillo Signals Intelligence Hub — Tracks affected agencies, NAICS codes, and contract vehicles. Saved searches alert when follow-on solicitations appear on SAM.gov (System for Award Management).
• Proposal Studio (Proposal OS) — AI-powered proposal automation with compliance matrices, win theme library, and bid/no-bid decision engine.
• Proposal Studio Workflow Tracker — 9-gate capture management with automated compliance routing and audit-ready documentation.

Recommended Cabrillo products to engage for this event:

• Cabrillo Signals War Room — confirm detection, ingest source documents, and distribute alerts.
• Cabrillo Signals Match Engine — rescore active opportunities and prioritize OTA/NDAA pilot matches.
• Cabrillo Signals Intelligence Hub — create saved searches for OTA postings and NDAA 2026 pilot follow-ons tied to the listed NAICS codes.
• Proposal Studio & Proposal Studio Workflow Tracker — start templating proposals, populate compliance matrices (ITAR/DFARS/CMMC/NIST 800-171/EAR), and run an expedited 9-gate capture sequence.

Notify these roles immediately:

• Capture Manager — lead engagement and pursue teaming/OTAs.
• BD Director — prioritize pipeline adjustments and resource allocation.
• CTO/Systems Engineering Lead — validate technical fit and readiness for high-energy laser/microwave integration.
• Security & Compliance Officer — review ITAR/DFARS/CMMC/NIST/EAR implications for proposed work.
• Proposal Lead — prepare Proposal Studio templates and compliance matrices.

First 48-hour response playbook

• Hour 0–4: Alert capture & BD teams via Cabrillo Signals War Room; create saved searches in Intelligence Hub for OTA and NDAA 2026 pilot solicitations; notify Security & Compliance.
• Hour 4–12: Run Match Engine rescore on active opportunities; convene rapid tech assessment with CTO/engineering to confirm capability fit and identify gaps.
• Hour 12–24: Initiate Proposal Studio templates and populate compliance matrices; assign Proposal Studio Workflow Tracker gates and owners.
• Hour 24–48: Confirm teaming options and subcontractor compliance, finalize bid/no-bid decision using Proposal Studio’s decision engine, and prepare immediate info requests or white papers for the program office.

For capture methodology and compliance procedures, see Winning Federal Contracts Guide (/insights/winning-federal-contracts), CMMC Compliance Guide (/insights/cmmc-compliance-guide), and CUI-Safe CRM Guide (/insights/cui-safe-crm-guide).