The US Department of Homeland Security has quietly kicked off one of the largest counter-drone procurements in its history, awarding a five-year, $1.5 billion indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract split across 12 vendors as it scrambles to close a well-documented gap in counter-UAS capability.
Two Tracks, 12 Vendors, $1.5B Ceiling Through 2031
Procurement documents posted last Friday show DHS split the deal into two lanes. Track 1, ceiling roughly $1 billion, covers hardware, software and ancillary services with seven vendors including Fortem, D-Fend and CACI. Track 2, worth up to $489 million, buys 'comprehensive services' — system integration, R&D and counter-UAS as a fully managed service — from Anduril Industries, Booz Allen Hamilton, GDIT, Parsons, Astrion, Leidos and BAE Systems. Leidos and BAE won spots on both tracks. Ordering began 1 August and runs to 31 July 2031.
Detect At 2 km, Track Three UAS, Mitigate At 500 m
The statement of work sets a minimum performance bar: detect a UAS at 2 km, track at least three simultaneously and mitigate threats at 500 m. Winners will run test reports, deliver training and stand up interoperable systems that plug into DHS operations. Some 47 vendors chased the deal against a backdrop of high-profile UAS incidents; DHS S&T under secretary Pedro Allende bluntly told a Commercial Drone Alliance event: 'We're behind the hook. Nothing's off the table.'
The Second Wave Of Federal Counter-UAS Spending
The DHS award follows a string of Pentagon C-UAS moves — AeroVironment's $400M Locust production order, the Kaizen $15M JIATF-401 marketplace and Kratos' $156M NNSA award — and pre-empts another $250 million DHS is expected to flow to state and local operators in fiscal 2027 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Reporting based on coverage from FedScoop, Washington Technology and OrangeSlices AI.