Citadel launches mobile app for U.S. military and federal agencies to neutralize drone threats

At a time when the threats against the United States are on the rise, one tech startup is on a mission to protect the homeland by equipping our military with new technologies to stay ahead of the adversaries. Citadel Defense is a counter-drone (C-UAS) technology company that builds industry-leading drone mitigation solutions for military, homeland security, and commercial applications.

The technology of the San Diego, California-based startup is used by commercial, government, and military users including, U.S. Special Forces, Army, Navy, Air Force, Department of Homeland Security, Border Patrol, and Coast Guard.

Back in the summer of 2020, we covered Citadel after it launched a new AI software to enable the U.S. government to autonomously protect against 98% of small drones. By securely networking multiple Titan systems together, a large base or airfield can achieve 24/7/365 protection through a single interface and the click of one button.

Today, Citadel announced the launch of a TAK-based counter-drone platform for the Department of Defense, federal government agencies, and emergency response teams. The platform was developed in partnership with Syzygy Integration. In an email to Tech Startups, Citadel said the custom counter-drone application accelerates situational awareness and coordinated responses to uncooperative drone activity around critical infrastructure, National Special Security Events (NSSE), military bases, and the border.

Working with government stakeholders, Citadel and Syzygy developed a Tactical Assault Kit (TAK) based counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) platform that informs security teams of unwanted drone activity and empowers authorized operators to neutralize threats within their airspace.

Christopher Williams, CEO of Citadel Defense explains, “Combining Titan’s artificial intelligence, intuitive user experience and inherently safe countermeasures with the new TAK-based application provides a force-multiplying capability needed by resource-constrained teams.”

Citadel is addressing a critical operational need for cost-effective, rapidly deployable, and operator-portable C-UAS solutions that work across the entire defense chain, which includes detecting the drone, classifying it, locating it, and safely neutralizing it with a low-collateral effector. The solution is rolling out to military and federal customers throughout 2021.

Titan’s mission planning application provides warfighters, federal agents, and law enforcement the ability to locate the drone, find the pilot or safely neutralize an immediate threat when kinetic effectors are not practical or allowed. The solution uses secure messaging, cross-agency collaboration tools, and cloud-based infrastructure for any time, anywhere access.

“We are excited to have Titan fully integrated into the SNAP ecosystem. This capability enables real-time C-UAS intelligence and mitigation of unwanted drone activity from anywhere in the world. This capability helps first responders and government agents respond quickly and more safely,” said Wesley Mitchell, President of Syzygy.

Founded in 2016 by Daniel Magy, Henrik Borgstrom, and Joseph Makol, the San Diego, California-based Citadel develops an automated and modular drone defense solution that uses proprietary machine learning algorithms to detect and engage unwanted drones.