MatrixSpace has appointed John Knag as vice president of product, adding a counter-drone technology veteran to its senior leadership team as the company looks to accelerate its product roadmap and industry integrations.

According to the company, Knag will help advance MatrixSpace’s product roadmap and expand system integration with key industry players.

Knag joins MatrixSpace with experience in counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS), most recently leading the product and engineering team at Dedrone/Axon. Earlier in his career, he led BAE Systems’ Electronic Warfare development group, where his work ranged from mixed-signal integrated circuit design to digital phased array systems and small-form-factor electronic warfare systems. He also founded several startups focused on those technologies.

“John brings a fantastic background as both an innovator and user of drone detection, public safety first-response (DFR), and C-UAS systems,” said Greg Waters, CEO of MatrixSpace. “As major governments and multinational corporations rapidly adopt counter drone capabilities as part of their business models, John’s talents will significantly accelerate the adoption of our platforms.”

Knag began his career as an aerospace engineer before moving into the emerging drone sector, where he worked on C-UAS applications for the Department of Energy and the U.S. Air Force.

“The opportunity to innovate and meet a wide range of emerging customer requirements has never been greater, and MatrixSpace sits squarely at the front of this growth,” Knag said. “The milestones already met by this team are impressive, and I look forward to continuing to advance capabilities and adoption for the evolving world of drone detection.”

Knag holds multiple patents covering aircraft design, sensors, weather systems, electronic warfare and C-UAS technologies. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from Stanford University.