Echodyne has opened a new advanced radar manufacturing facility in Washington state as governments increase investment in counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) and short-range air defense capabilities.

The new 86,350-square-foot facility expands the company's manufacturing capacity to support growing demand from U.S. and allied customers. Echodyne has begun end-to-end manufacturing operations at the site, which the company said will eventually be capable of producing more than 30,000 radars annually, or more than 2,500 per month.

The company said demand for enhanced airspace awareness continues to grow as drones become more widely used in defense, national security and critical infrastructure protection. Echodyne also pointed to the expanding low-altitude economy, where hundreds of thousands of drones are expected to support commercial and life-saving missions that require sensor infrastructure to monitor airspace activity.

Over the coming months, Echodyne will transition all manufacturing operations from its headquarters to the new facility, creating a dedicated manufacturing and operations hub to support production growth across its radar portfolio. The company said its $40 million investment will create more than 100 new jobs initially, with up to 200 positions expected once the facility reaches full production capacity.

"Our global customer base is demanding more radar to be delivered as fast as possible," said Eben Frankenberg, CEO of Echodyne. "Drones are driving significant change in both enabling a drone economy and in defending against nefarious drone use. While radar performance will always be the dominant consideration, product availability both now and in a predictable and consistent manner over time is quickly becoming a requirement for any global supplier. The only way to defend against mass is with mass. That requires not just high-performance economical radars, but the ability to manufacture them at scale."

According to the company, demand for its radar technology spans applications including counter-UAS, force protection, border security, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, protection of critical infrastructure and beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations for autonomous systems.

Echodyne said its patented Metamaterials Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) architecture differs from conventional electronically scanned array radars by using a simpler design for electronic beam steering. Manufactured with standard materials and scalable commercial processes, the technology is designed to deliver high-fidelity radar performance while reducing size, weight, power requirements, complexity and cost. The company said the software-defined radar is also designed for manufacturability at commercial scale.

The new site includes approximately 74,350 square feet of manufacturing space and 12,000 square feet of warehouse space, allowing production to shift across multiple radar product lines while supporting future product introductions.

Echodyne said its manufacturing approach combines its MESA architecture with commercially scalable production techniques, enabling manufacturing capacity to flex across product lines, accelerate new product introductions and respond to changing customer demand while maintaining consistent quality.

The company also cited recent program awards and increasing international demand as drivers behind the expansion. Echodyne said its radar technology is integrated into hundreds of defense and security systems worldwide and supports platforms developed by Anduril, Axon, Moog and Northrop Grumman Corporation.

Most recently, Echodyne was selected as the primary radar provider for Trust Automation's Small UAS Detection System (SUADS), which is being delivered to the U.S. Air Force under a $490 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract.

The company said it expects to continue expanding its workforce as manufacturing operations increase.