Leonardo DRS has placed a $350,000 order with Axon Vision for AI-powered counter-uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) to support US defense and homeland security missions.
The contract includes an initial suite of AI-enabled systems capable of detecting, classifying, tracking, and neutralizing aerial threats. Axon Vision’s counter-drone technology is designed to identify and respond to fast-moving targets in under one second, integrating perception, autonomy, and threat classification into a modular framework suitable for ground and maritime platforms, both manned and unmanned.
Leonardo will incorporate the systems into its broader mission and sensing portfolio. Operational trials and live exercises will evaluate performance, focusing on counter-UAS and mobile force protection missions, and demonstrating flexibility, modularity, and deployment readiness.
This order highlights a broader trend in the US military and defense industry to embed AI into drone and counter-drone operations, following similar efforts by Shield AI, Anduril Industries, Northrop Grumman, and RTX, which have applied AI to autonomy, threat detection, and decision-making across uncrewed systems.
