The US Department of Defense has launched an expanded digital marketplace to accelerate the procurement of counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) equipment for military units, law enforcement, and partner forces.
The centralized platform was developed by the agency’s dedicated anti-drone segment, Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401), and New York-based software developer Kaizen Laboratories under a $15-million contract.
Through the portal, authorized buyers can search for systems based on operational needs, review verified performance data, and buy approved hardware ranging from jammers to kinetic interceptors.
The marketplace also integrates into the Foreign Military Sales Fast Lane initiative to speed export approvals for international allies.
Keeping Pace With Modern Threats
According to the Pentagon, the move is intended to streamline a traditionally slow procurement process as drone threats evolve rapidly on modern battlefields.
“Drones are a defining threat of our time,” said Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, director of JIATF-401. “The proliferation of small systems and small drones and the threat that they pose both to critical infrastructure and to defense critical assets requires us to move faster in this space.”
“In order to address this threat, we are expanding the counter-UAS marketplace to allow us to share best practices and equipment globally.”
Kaizen CEO Nikhil Reddy echoed that sentiment, highlighting that the e-commerce platform will bypass slow, paper-based bureaucratic delays.
“Threats are changing so quickly, but the systems that we actually have … is so far behind what it needs to be,” Reddy said, noting that legacy acquisition software creates a critical readiness issue for armed forces.
Currently, major defense contractors including Anduril and AeroVironment have already listed approved systems on the digital shop.
