WOODINVILLE, Wash. — Echodyne has officially opened a new $40 million advanced radar manufacturing facility in Woodinville, Washington, significantly expanding its production capacity to meet increasing demand for counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS), short-range air defense, and other radar applications from the United States and allied customers.
The new 86,350-square-foot facility will serve as Echodyne's dedicated manufacturing and operations hub, enabling end-to-end radar production. Once operating at full capacity, the site will be capable of producing more than 2,500 radars per month, equivalent to over 30,000 radar systems annually.
The company said it will gradually transfer all manufacturing operations from its current headquarters in Kirkland to the new Woodinville facility over the coming months.
Facility Designed for High-Volume Production
The new manufacturing site includes approximately 74,350 square feet dedicated to production and 12,000 square feet for warehousing. According to the company, the layout is designed to support flexible manufacturing across multiple radar models while allowing future expansion for additional product lines.
The investment is expected to create more than 100 new jobs initially, with the workforce potentially growing to around 200 positions as production increases. Echodyne currently employs about 260 people across the company.
The facility is intended to strengthen domestic manufacturing capacity while supporting long-term production requirements from military, security, and commercial customers.
Rising Demand for Counter-Drone Radar
Demand for advanced radar systems has increased as drones are being used more widely in both military and civilian applications. Echodyne said its radar systems are seeing growing interest for missions including:
- Counter-UAS (C-UAS)
- Short-range air defense
- Force protection
- Border security
- Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR)
- Critical infrastructure protection
- Beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations for autonomous systems
Recent conflicts, including the war in Ukraine, have demonstrated how low-cost drones can affect military operations, increasing the need for reliable sensors capable of detecting and tracking small aerial threats. At the same time, commercial drone operations such as infrastructure inspection, emergency response, and future delivery services are driving additional demand for airspace monitoring technologies.
CEO Highlights Need for Scalable Manufacturing
Commenting on the new facility, Eben Frankenberg, Chief Executive Officer of Echodyne, said growing global demand requires not only high-performance radar systems but also the ability to manufacture them in large numbers.
"Our global customer base is demanding more radar to be delivered as fast as possible. 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."
MESA Radar Technology
Echodyne's radar systems are based on its patented Metamaterials Electronically Scanned Array (MESA®) technology.
Unlike conventional electronically scanned array radars that rely on thousands of phase shifters, the MESA architecture uses a simplified approach to electronically steer radar beams. The design allows the company to manufacture radar systems using standard materials and commercial production processes.
According to Echodyne, this approach results in radar systems that are:
- Smaller and lighter
- Lower in power consumption
- Less expensive to manufacture
- Easier to export
- Capable of maintaining high radar performance
The company said its manufacturing process follows the same principles of simplicity and scalability, using modular production methods that allow output to be adjusted according to customer requirements while maintaining consistent product quality.
Expanding Role in Defense Programs
Echodyne's radar technology is already integrated into systems developed by several major defense companies, including Anduril, Axon, Moog, and Northrop Grumman.
The company was also recently selected as the primary radar supplier for Trust Automation's Small UAS Detection System (SUADS). The system is being delivered under a $490 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract awarded by the U.S. Air Force.
Founded in 2014 after being spun out from Intellectual Ventures, Echodyne has focused on developing compact electronically scanned radar systems for defense, security, and commercial markets.
Strengthening U.S. Radar Manufacturing
With the opening of its new Woodinville manufacturing hub, Echodyne is increasing domestic production capacity for advanced radar systems while preparing to meet growing demand from military, security, and commercial operators. The company expects to continue expanding its workforce and manufacturing output as production ramps up and customer requirements increase.
Source : echodyne
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