Echodyne has expanded its production capability of radars with the opening of a manufacturing facility in Washington State.
According to a 9 July release, the company has commenced operations at the site, with production expected to surpass 30,000 radars annually when fully scaled.
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Built with a $40m investment, the 86,350ft2 plant encompasses approximately 74,350ft2 for manufacturing activities and 12,000ft2 for warehousing.
To establish a central hub for its expanded operations, Echodyne plans to transition all manufacturing from its headquarters to this new facility.
Initial staffing is set at over 100 new positions, with the potential to scale up to 200 jobs as capacity increases.
The company’s manufacturing approach is driven by its proprietary Metamaterials Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) technology.
Echodyne reports that this system enables electronic beam steering through a simpler architecture than traditional electronically scanned array radars, which typically require thousands of phase shifters.
The firm says the use of standard materials and scalable commercial techniques results in radars that are compact, software-defined, and export-ready, helping control cost and complexity while supporting large-scale output.
The new facility has been designed to allow flexible production across different radar product lines and to expedite the introduction of new technology as customer requirements evolve.
Echodyne noted that recent programme awards and strong international interest have made increased output necessary. Its radar systems are incorporated into a variety of defence and security solutions, with customers and partners including Anduril, Axon, Moog, and Northrop Grumman Corporation.
Recently, Echodyne secured a $490m indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to deliver Trust Automation’s Small UAS Detection System (SUADS) to the US Air Force.
Echodyne CEO Eben Frankenberg said: “Our global customer base is demanding more radar to be delivered as fast as possible. Drones are driving significant change in both enabling a drone economy and in defending against nefarious drone use.
“While radar performance will always be the dominant consideration, product availability both now and in a predictable and consistent manner over time is quickly becoming a requirement for any global supplier.”
