Leonardo DRS Tops Pentagon Counter-Drone Competition With Ring C-UxS
Leonardo DRS has secured first place in a US Department of Defense counter-drone competition after demonstrating its latest electronic warfare system designed to detect and defeat unmanned threats.
The win came during a showcase hosted by the DoD’s Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office, where the company unveiled its Ring C-UxS system.
The technology uses proprietary radio frequency-based electronic warfare techniques to identify, track, and neutralize drones and autonomous systems from air, land, or sea.
During the demonstration, the Ring system successfully detected, identified, and “defeated” mock enemy drones. It also demonstrated its ability to operate in contested electromagnetic environments.
Leonardo DRS said the system can be integrated into existing counter-drone and air defense platforms to enable rapid deployment for frontline units.
Broader Context of Counter-UAS Development
The demonstration comes amid a growing Defense Department push to strengthen defenses against unmanned aerial systems, which are becoming more capable, affordable, and widely deployed.
Alongside the Ring system, the Pentagon is advancing several programs to detect and counter drones across diverse operational settings. These systems are already fielded in multiple theaters, from domestic training environments to overseas operations.
One prominent example is the Mobile-Low, Slow Small Unmanned Aircraft Integrated Defeat System (M-LIDS), for which Leonardo DRS serves as the prime contractor. MLIDS is designed to provide rapid, deployable solutions against small UAS to allow ground forces to respond to drone incursions in real time.
Similarly, the SGT Stout Maneuver Short Range Air Defense program integrates mission equipment packages that combine radar, electronic warfare, and counter-UAS technologies into mobile air defense units.
