Echodyne EchoShield radar integrated into BAE Systems BATS

Echodyne has announced that its EchoShield radar has been selected and integrated into the BAE Systems Anti Threat System (BATS), a modular, software-defined counter-uncrewed systems (C-UAS) capability. This integration provides the precise, persistent airspace data necessary to detect, classify, track, and neutralize uncrewed aerial threats. BATS recently completed successful live trials in Scotland, demonstrating its ability to fuse multiple sensors and effectors into a unified, secure command-and-control network that responds to evolving drone threats in real time.

High-fidelity tracking and low-SWaP deployment
Effective counter-drone operations rely entirely on accurate sensor data to reduce the cognitive burden on human operators and accelerate tactical decision-making. Echodyne’s EchoShield utilizes proprietary metamaterials electronically scanned array (MESA) technology to deliver high-performance, true 3D radar capabilities in a compact, low size, weight, and power (SWaP) footprint.

This low-SWaP architecture enables deployment-agnostic operations, functioning seamlessly across fixed infrastructure, rapidly deployable setups, and on-the-move platforms. By feeding highly stable tracks, precise location data, and advanced threat classifications into the BATS data core, the overarching system can instantly apply rapid decision logic and assign the most appropriate effector to neutralize complex targets.

Additional Context:
This section details the electromagnetic principles of metamaterial radars and low-RCS drone detection not included in the original press release.

Detecting small commercial or tactical military drones is notoriously difficult because they possess a microscopic Radar Cross Section (RCS)—often physically appearing to a radar like a small bird. Traditional mechanically steered radars cannot sweep the horizon fast enough to maintain a stable track on these highly maneuverable, low-RCS targets. While conventional Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars solve this speed issue by using thousands of individual transmit/receive modules (TRMs) to steer the beam electronically in microseconds, they are exceedingly expensive, power-hungry, and heavy, which limits their tactical mobility.

Echodyne’s MESA (Metamaterials Electronically Scanned Array) technology fundamentally alters this cost and SWaP paradigm. Instead of relying on thousands of active TRMs, a MESA radar uses a single, powerful radio frequency source and routes the signal through an advanced metamaterial surface. By applying a very small voltage to microscopic elements within this metamaterial grid, the material's electromagnetic properties change dynamically. This allows the radar beam to be steered electronically and instantly—just like an AESA—but without moving parts and at a mere fraction of the cost, size, and power consumption. This breakthrough in solid-state physics makes it economically and logistically viable to deploy advanced, persistent radar coverage on highly mobile platforms or at the edge of the battlefield.

Edited by an industrial journalist, Lekshman Ramdas, with AI assistance.

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