MyDefence Expands Production, Validation of Wearable and Mobile Counter-UAS Systems

May 1, 2026

MyDefence has officially opened its U.S. counter uncrewed aircraft systems (C UAS) manufacturing and innovation facility in Oklahoma City, marking a major step in the company’s expansion of its North American production footprint. The latest MyDefence facility, which became operational in February, strengthens the company’s ability to support U.S. and allied defense customers with domestically produced counter drone technologies while reinforcing supply chain resilience, regulatory compliance, and lifecycle support.

The opening comes amid rapid growth in the scale, diversity, and technical sophistication of uncrewed aerial system threats. Advances in autonomy, range, payload integration, and — critically —radio frequency (RF) employment have increased demand for counter UAS solutions that can evolve as quickly as the threat itself.

The Changing Drone Threat Landscape

President & CEO Bill Ostrowski at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of MyDefence North America’s production facility in Oklahoma City. (Image: MyDefence)

Uncrewed aerial systems are now a routine feature of modern conflict, border security operations, and homeland defense missions. Military forces, law enforcement agencies, and critical infrastructure operators increasingly encounter drones operating at low altitude, with minimal acoustic or visual signature, and across a widening range of RF bands. The accessibility of commercial components and open technical knowledge has significantly lowered barriers to entry, allowing both state and non state actors to field sophisticated systems at relatively low cost.

Threat profiles vary widely. Some platforms are optimized for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), carrying electro optical or infrared sensors capable of real time data transmission. Others are configured for electronic disruption, targeting support, or direct attack through improvised payload delivery. Even small, commercially derived systems can generate disproportionate operational effects, forcing defenders to commit significant resources and react under compressed timelines.

These dynamics have accelerated demand for counter UAS solutions that can be deployed rapidly, integrated into existing sensor and command and control architectures, and updated continuously. While fixed site defenses remain essential for base and infrastructure protection, operational focus is increasingly shifting toward portable, mobile, and wearable systems that extend detection and awareness to the tactical edge.

Wearable and Mobile Counter UAS Architecture

MyDefence has concentrated its development efforts on plug-and-play wearable and mobile C UAS solutions designed specifically for dismounted operators and small units operating forward of fixed defenses. These systems are intended to deliver early warning and threat characterization without degrading operator mobility or increasing cognitive load.

Technicians assemble circuit boards at MyDefence’s new facility in Oklahoma. (Image: MyDefence)

At the tactical level, early detection is often the decisive factor. Forward deployed personnel operating beyond the coverage of radar or fixed RF sensors require systems that can detect, classify, and report UAS threats in real time. Wearable counter UAS sensors address this gap by enabling distributed detection, allowing multiple operators to contribute data into a shared operational picture.

A new technology recently introduced by MyDefence is the company’s WideBand extended Frequency (XF) Antenna. Designed for portable and wearable counter UAS applications, the WideBand XF Antenna enables continuous RF detection from 200 MHz to 6 GHz, without gaps across the spectrum.

Wingman is the company’s portable, ruggedized wearable drone detector designed for military, law enforcement, and security professionals. It uses advanced RF sensors to detect and track unauthorized drones, providing early warnings of UAV activity. (Image: MyDefence)

This capability directly addresses a growing limitation in many legacy counter UAS systems. Early consumer and hobbyist drones primarily relied on well defined industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) bands such as 2.4 GHz, 5.2 GHz, and 5.8 GHz. Sensors optimized for these bands formed the foundation of first generation counter drone solutions.

Operational experience has demonstrated that modern threats increasingly deviate from these predictable patterns. Adversaries are shifting command and control links into lower frequency ranges—particularly between 350 and 1300 MHz — to reduce susceptibility to detection and jamming. At the same time, higher frequencies are often used for encrypted video, telemetry, and data transfer. This multi band approach complicates detection and creates blind spots in systems designed around narrow or discontinuous spectrum coverage.

More than 2,000 MyDefence Wingman wearable drone detection systems are currently deployed in Ukraine, where operators face persistent and rapidly adapting threats. Users consistently identified the need for continuous, full spectrum situational awareness to detect drones operating outside traditional commercial bands.

MyDefence recently developed the Wideband XF antenna pictured here. In addition to its antenna, the system features a compass, GNSS receiver and Inertial Measurement Unit. WideBand XF, delivers uninterrupted awareness from 200 MHz to 6 GHz. By closing critical spectrum gaps, it uncovers FPV drones, commercial UAVs, and custom-built platforms exploiting both low and high frequencies. (Image: MyDefence)

The WideBand XF Antenna integrates directly with the Wingman wearable drone detector and is fully compatible with the Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK), a widely adopted situational awareness platform developed by MyDefence and used by U.S. and allied forces.

Integration with ATAK allows detections to be visualized in near real time, contributing to a shared tactical picture that supports collaborative decision making across distributed units. Alerts and RF activity data can be shared with command elements, improving responsiveness and coordination.

In addition to its detection role, the WideBand XF Antenna functions as a spectrum analyzer. Operators can visualize, identify, and monitor wireless signals across the supported frequency range, including emissions from drones and other RF sources within the operational environment. This dual use capability supports both immediate threat recognition and longer term signal analysis, enabling post mission review and intelligence development.

Operational Validations: Red Sands and the Stormborn USV

MyDefence, together with their partner MLSCO, participated in Red Sands 2025 — pictured here — conducted from September 7 to 14, 2025. Hosted by U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) in partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the exercise represented the largest counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) live-fire event ever held in the Middle East. (Image: MyDefence)

MyDefence technologies were evaluated in a large scale operational context during Red Sands 2025, the Middle East’s largest live fire counter UAS exercise. The multi day event was held in September at the Shamal 2 Range in northeastern Saudi Arabia and involved more than 300 personnel fielding 20 counter UAS systems.

Red Sands 2025 focused on the integration of layered, networked air defense architectures designed to detect, track, and defeat unmanned aerial threats. Passive RF sensors, acoustic detection arrays, radar systems, and shooters were linked through joint command and control networks to create a unified operational picture.

Close in defense layers incorporated Drone Defeat Rounds (DDRs), specialized munitions engineered to counter small, fast moving drones at short range. These rounds disperse multiple projectiles to increase hit probability against low altitude targets attempting to breach inner defensive perimeters.

MyDefence successfully demonstrated its counter-UAS equipment on Stormborn’s X-WAVE unmanned surface vessel (USV), pictured here, to show how its equipment could provide drone detection and identification for harbors and ports, offshore energy infrastructure and maritime platforms and vessels. (Image: MyDefence)

U.S. and Saudi forces employed a range of sensing technologies, including body worn passive RF detection and geolocation systems such as Signal Hunter, alongside acoustic sensors like the Buffer Passive Acoustic Detection System (BPADS). Integrated shooters included systems such as Vanguard, Skyguard, Shikra, MLIDS, and multiple other electronic warfare solutions.

Separately from the Red Sands demonstration, in January 2026, MyDefence collaborated with London-based startup Stormborn to validate its counter-UAS capabilities on an uncrewed surface vessel (USV). The live demonstration integrated MyDefence’s detection onto the Stormborn X-WAVE unmanned USV, showcasing how proven air-domain protection can be seamlessly extended to maritime platforms.

During the demonstration, MyDefence delivered real-time drone detection and system control. An RF sensor system was installed onboard the USV and operated remotely through the MyDefence situational awareness system, demonstrating full situational awareness and control.

Custom Drone Library: Operator Driven Threat Intelligence

MyDefence’s Watchdog drone detector, pictured here, uses passive signal sensing to discreetly identify drones and their controllers. The modular system enables it to function as a standalone unit or as part of a networked array, as shown here, mounted to a military ground vehicle. (Image: MyDefence)

Complementing its hardware developments, MyDefence has introduced the Custom Drone Library, a software driven capability that enables armed forces to generate, own, and deploy their own drone intelligence at operational speed.

While preloaded threat libraries remain essential for immediate protection against known systems, modern conflict has demonstrated that drone configurations can change rapidly. Frequencies, modulation schemes, payloads, and flight behaviors may be altered in days — or even hours.

The Custom Drone Library allows operators to capture RF data from previously unknown drones, analyze that data, and generate new detector profiles in real time. These profiles can then be distributed across deployed systems, ensuring that a single frontline encounter enhances protection across the force.

When used in combination with MyDefence’s mobile and wearable drone detectors, RF signatures are transformed into actionable detectors that evolve alongside adversary innovation.

In Ukraine and other active theaters, drones have become among the most lethal and persistent threats on the battlefield. Small and quiet, they often operate without visual or acoustic cues, exposing personnel to threats that may only be detectable through RF emissions.

This is the new electromagnetic frontline of warfare. Early counter UAS solutions built around predictable ISM band activity are no longer sufficient. Modern conflicts demand systems capable of persistent, full spectrum awareness and rapid adaptation.

This article was provided by materials from MyDefence. For more information, visit here .