Addressing the 7C’s: Echodyne Takes Security To a Whole New Level

June 13, 2025 | Dawn Zoldi

 

Crazy, clueless, careless, compliant, criminal, committed and combatant—drone pilots can fall into any one of these categories. In response, across an array of markets and use cases, Echodyne continues to address the challenges they cause and in so doing, has redefined airspace security. June marked “Security” month on the Dawn of Autonomy podcast. The series launched with an in-depth interview featuring Echodyne’s Curtis Walters and David Lewin, where they pulled back the curtain on how the company’s advanced radar systems can be deployed, across diverse sectors, to both defend against drones and enable the industry. Read on to learn more about the fast-evolving industry landscape, the necessity of layered sensor stacks and how Echodyne’s patented metamaterials electronically scanned array (MESA®) radar technology and intelligent software has taken situational awareness for autonomous systems and critical operations to the next level.

Sharing the Story: Meet the Voices of Echodyne

Echodyne’s perspective on the rapidly evolving drone industry and security landscape comes directly from two of its leading voices, Curtis Walters, VP of Sales – Government and Commercial, and David Lewin, Regional Sales Manager – East. Walters, with a background in software applications and cybersecurity, brings radar solutions to agencies that need them most and aligns cutting-edge technology with user needs. Lewin, a commercial security expert, focuses on drone detection and perimeter protection, helping clients solve real-world problems with advanced radar systems. Their combined expertise helps to position Echodyne at the intersection of technology and operational security, delivering radar-based solutions for critical infrastructure, public safety and more.

From Metamaterials to MESA®: Echodyne’s Origin

The Echodyne we know today began as a company steeped in metamaterials—a physics approach to design where common materials are combined in new ways to yield unexpected results. One of the findings, as the technology known as metamaterials was developed, was the ability to create a high rate of beamforming and processing in a small space which is what led to Echodyne radar and the ability to leverage a gold standard technology in new ways and applications. This led to the development of the Metamaterials Electronically Scanned Array (MESA®), a patented small size, weight, power and cost (SWaP-C) radar technology that shrinks the gold-standard radar performance found in fighter jets into a device that fits in your hand.

As Walters explained, “We basically have modeled the active electronically scanned array radar that sits in the nose cone of a fifth-gen fighter jet and have taken that down to a size that fits in the palm of your hand—that’s our EchoGuard unit. The EchoShield is about the size of a backpack, but the idea is the same: bring top-tier radar technology to places it’s never been practical before due to cost, size and power requirements.”

This leap in radar miniaturization and affordability set the foundation for Echodyne’s portfolio and mission: to enable robust airspace awareness and security in environments where traditional radar was once unfeasible.

The Problem: The “7C’s” of Modern Airspace

The proliferation of drones has brought a new set of challenges to security professionals, that Echodyne aims to address. The landscape is no longer limited to a handful of bad actors; it now spans a spectrum of drone pilots, each with distinct motivations and risk profiles. Walters and Lewin broke this down into the “7C’s”:

• Crazy: Reckless pilots pushing boundaries for attention.
• Clueless: Operators unaware of rules or risks, sometimes interfering with emergency operations.
• Careless: Those who know the rules but ignore them for a photo or thrill.
• Compliant: Responsible, rule-abiding pilots.
• Criminal: Individuals using drones for illegal activities, like smuggling contraband.
• Committed: Actors who deliberately evade detection, often for high-stakes or persistent threats.
• Combatant: State or non-state actors using drones for hostile actions, as seen in recent global conflicts.

With over two million drones in the U.S. alone—and only a fraction registered or compliant with the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Remote Identification (Remote ID) requirements—the airspace has become a complex, dynamic environment.

“The criminal and the committed, they’re not flying with remote ID enabled and generally have done something to avoid RF (radio frequency) sensor capabilities,” Walters noted. This makes traditional detection methods insufficient, especially as drone-based threats to critical infrastructure, prisons and public events escalate.

Why Radar Is Indispensable for Modern Security

Unlike passive sensors that rely on known signals or signatures, radar is an active sensor—it “sees” everything in the airspace, regardless of whether a drone is broadcasting its presence.

As Walters put it, “Radar provides that fundamental sensor that gives an active view of everything in the airspace, whether it’s a drone built overnight, a new FPV (first person view), or a swarm moving faster than expected. Radar doesn’t require a known signal or footprint to detect a threat.”

This makes radar the backbone of any comprehensive airspace awareness system, especially when dealing with sophisticated or non-compliant threats. Echodyne’s MESA technology, which delivers high-fidelity, three-dimensional situational awareness at a fraction of the cost and size of legacy systems, amplifies this value.

The Echodyne Advantage: MESA® Radar and Intelligent Software

Echodyne’s MESA® radar is a solid-state, electronically scanned array (ESA) system. Unlike traditional spinning radars, ESA radars are fixed and use advanced beamforming to scan the environment at lightning speed. This allows the system to search and track multiple objects simultaneously—a capability known as Search While Track (SWT).

The MESA Difference: Search and Track

MESA radars can actively search and track at the same time. This provides significantly better performance and more precise object data. Echodyne radars collect, process,and transmit object data ten times every second to provide security teams with real-time, actionable intelligence.

Focused Beams and High Angular Accuracy

Echodyne’s radar can direct additional beams at specific objects of interest—a standout feature. This enables the system to “better verify and confirm exactly what it is and what it’s doing, and characterize the behavior of whatever is flying in the field of view,” Walters explained.

Angular accuracy is a critical differentiator. Walters illustrated: “At a distance of a kilometer and a half, a small degree of variance in your sensor can mean you’re missing the target by the size of a semi-truck. Our focus on angular accuracy ensures cameras and other sensors can be cued precisely, making identification and mitigation far more effective.”

Cognitive, Software-Defined Radar

Echodyne’s radars are software-defined. This allows for continuous upgrades to meet evolving threats. The radar simultaneously forms and directs beams in 2,500 distinct directions to scan the entire field of view. When an object is detected, additional beams are dynamically allocated to verify its behavior, while the radar continues scanning the rest of the field uninterrupted.

This adaptability is crucial for complex environments, such as urban areas with significant clutter or critical infrastructure with challenging layouts.

Airspace Awareness Tools: An Integrated, Layered Approach

Echodyne’s portfolio includes several radar solutions, each designed for specific operational needs. MESA®, the core metamaterials ESA radar technology, underpins all Echodyne systems, delivering unmatched accuracy and flexibility:

• EchoGuard: A compact, sub-three-pound radar for high-performance surveillance of air and ground domains, ideal for fixed or portable asset security.
• EchoShield: Offers extended range and precision for highly sensitive assets and secure facilities, with mobile (on-the-move) sensing capabilities.
• EchoFlight: Lightweight radar designed for onboard drone use, enabling detect-and-avoid capabilities for drone delivery and air taxi applications.

Echodyne radars can be easily integrated with other sensors and systems – such as command-and-control systems (C2), video management systems (VMS), cameras, thermal imagers and RF scanners – to create a multi-faceted layered security stack.

As Lewin explained, “Radar is that foundational sensor that allows all those other sensors to use their full capabilities. If you can’t afford to miss a single object—like a drone carrying contraband into a prison—you need radar as your catchall.”

Real-World Use Cases: From Prisons to Public Safety

Echodyne’s radar solutions are actively shaping security strategies across some of the most challenging and high-stakes environments in the country. From correctional facilities combating the surge of drone-delivered contraband to utilities, ports and campuses seeking to protect critical assets, Echodyne’s MESA® radar forms the backbone of layered, multi-modal security stacks.

Critical Infrastructure and Corrections

Prisons face a growing threat from drones. Echodyne’s radar, combined with other sensors, enables early detection and rapid response. Walters noted, “These aren’t just entrepreneurial criminals; these are cartel-backed, multinational operations wreaking havoc within correctional facilities. Our radar helps identify and intercept these threats before they occur.”

Utilities, ports, and other critical infrastructure have also turned to Echodyne for enhanced perimeter security, especially as drone activity near sensitive sites increases.

Public Safety and Drone as First Responder

Echodyne enables Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs to help deliver beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations without the need for visual observers. This integration provides public safety agencies with real-time airspace awareness and allows drones to be deployed autonomously to emergencies while avoiding conflicts with manned aircraft or other obstacles.

Lewin shared, “Radar creates airspace awareness—that complete picture of what’s in the airspace—so that 911 drones can avoid running into EMS helicopters or other hazards. It’s about enabling safer, more effective emergency response.”

Event Security and Campus Protection

Stadiums, campuses and organizers of mass gatherings, where the risk of drone incursions remains as high as the stakes, increasingly turn to Echodyne. By integrating radar with other technologies, operators can distinguish between authorized and unauthorized drones. This reduces false alarms and ensures compliant operations.

Border Security and Multi-Domain Awareness

Echodyne’s technology has also been deployed for border security, where simultaneous detection of ground and air threats is essential. The ability to track both drones and vehicles, even in cluttered environments, sets Echodyne apart from its competitors.

The Yin and Yang: Enabling Security and UTM

A recurring theme in Echodyne’s approach is the “dual-use” nature of their technology—the “yin and yang.” Their radars do not just help to counter threats but also enable positive, societally beneficial uses of drones.

As Walters noted, “We want to enable good and proper use of drones, like delivery and DFR, while detecting drones used by the 7C’s. It’s about finding a happy medium between those two.”

Lewin added, “Knowing who’s supposed to be in the airspace and who’s not is the foundation for advanced air mobility.” He continued, “The same radar that supports counter-UAS also enables UTM and BVLOS operations. These worlds are converging, and you need a system that supports both sides—drones for good and counter-drone.”

Stand-Out Differentiators: Shaping the Future of Airspace Security

As drone usage continues to expand—across delivery, emergency response and air taxis—the need for robust, adaptable airspace awareness will only grow. Echodyne continues to prepare for this future by ensuring their radar systems can support both security and operational enablement, from countering hostile drones to facilitating advanced air mobility. What sets them apart?

• Commercially Accessible ESA Radar – thanks to metamaterials: Echodyne is the only provider of commercial ESA radar, delivering unmatched performance at a price point accessible to a broad range of users.
• High Angular Accuracy: Their radar data fidelity is best in class and can cue cameras and other sensors with pinpoint precision, reducing false alarms and improving response times.
• Software-Defined Upgrades: Continuous software updates keep Echodyne’s systems at the cutting edge, adapting to new threats as they emerge.
• Integration and Interoperability: Echodyne’s radars are designed for seamless integration with third-party systems, supporting a layered, multi-sensor approach to security.
• Scalable Solutions: From small, portable units to wide-area surveillance, Echodyne’s portfolio covers the full spectrum of security needs.

“We’re seeing the market shift,” Lewin observed. “With projects originally focused on DFR now also requiring counter-UAS, and vice versa. The two worlds are converging, and our technology is at the center of that convergence,” he said.

Redefining What’s Possible In Airspace Awareness

Echodyne continues to redefine what’s possible in airspace security and awareness by addressing the full spectrum of drone threats—the “7C’s”—with precision, flexibility and a commitment to both protection and enablement.

As Walters aptly concluded, “We want to help educate the market, ensuring that decisions are based on best-of-breed technologies and real-world operational needs. The threat landscape is evolving every week, and our mission is to stay ahead of it.”

For agencies and organizations seeking to secure their airspace, Echodyne offers not just technology, but a philosophy: layered, integrated…and always advancing.

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For more on Echodyne’s radar solutions and the evolving world of airspace security, visit their website or connect with Curtis Walters and David Lewin on LinkedIn for the latest insights and updates.

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