Iran is increasingly targeting radar systems that underpin US and allied air defenses, aiming to degrade their ability to detect and track incoming threats. The WSJ reports that by using low-cost one-way attack drones like Shaheds instead of large missile salvos, Tehran is pursuing a strategy that exploits vulnerabilities in high-end defense systems while reducing operational costs.

As these drone threats expand beyond the battlefield to US infrastructure and the homeland, the Department of War is moving to unify its counter-UAS capabilities. The Joint Interagency Task Force 401 has selected Anduril Industries’ Lattice software as a common command-and-control platform under an $87 million contract.

Lattice integrates diverse sensors and defense systems into a single network, enabling rapid detection, tracking, and response to drone threats. It allows warfighters to coordinate actions across multiple systems in real time, improving overall effectiveness.

In parallel, the US is deploying the Merops counter-drone system to the Middle East to defend against Iran’s Shahed drones, leveraging AI-enabled interceptor drones as a cost-effective, scalable alternative to traditional missile defenses, as reported by Fortune.

The AI-powered Merops counter-drone system has been deployed in multiple countries to defend against hostile drone threats, according to the AP. Ukrainian forces first used the system in June 2024, where it has reportedly destroyed over 1,000–1,900 Russian drones. Poland and Romania have deployed Merops along their borders as part of NATO operations to counter Russian drone incursions, while the United States is using it in the Middle East for force protection. Denmark has also decided to acquire the system to safeguard critical infrastructure.

This effort is part of a broader push to streamline acquisition and deploy scalable, continuously improving commercial technology across the force. Anduril writes:

As the proliferation of unmanned aerial systems (drones) has increased at an unprecedented pace worldwide, the threat has expanded beyond the battlefield to the American homeland, exposing Department of War installations, other U.S. Government strategic sites, and National critical infrastructure to new risks. Disparate systems that act in isolation aren’t capable of effectively responding to this dynamic threat. Addressing this complex counter-UAS (C-UAS) challenge requires a common tactical command and control platform that integrates diverse systems to detect, track, and identify threats, enabling warfighters across the joint force to respond quickly and effectively.

The Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401), an organization focused on synchronizing C-UAS efforts across the Department of War and broader Federal Government, has selected Anduril’s Lattice software to serve as the tactical command and control solution for C-UAS. This $87 million contract is the first task order under the Army’s recently-announced Enterprise Agreement with Anduril. By establishing both a common command and control software platform for C-UAS and a common process for U.S. Government organizations to procure, deploy, and sustain ever-improving commercial counter-drone software at scale, JIATF-401 is rapidly accelerating the Nation’s response to the UAS threat.

An effective, multi-layered counter-UAS response includes a software solution that connects disparate systems and enables a coordinated defense. As JIATF-401’s command and control software foundation, Lattice integrates a broad range of sensors and effectors — from legacy systems and newly fielded capabilities — to enable distributed detection, tracking, classification, and engagement of UAS threats in seconds. Leveraging commercial software best practices, Anduril’s development and deployment process delivers a continuously improving Lattice capability drawing on operational lessons learned from across a globally deployed footprint.

The enterprise license Lattice agreement follows years of successful air defense deployments across services and operational domains. Most recently, Lattice was chosen as the U.S. Army’s next-generation fire control capability for C-UAS missions under the Integrated Battle Command System Maneuver program. As threats continue to evolve, a common tactical command and control backbone for C-UAS will be essential to rapidly integrate new sensors, effectors, and capabilities across the joint force as one element of effective counter-drone measures across the DoW.

The contract with JIATF-401 and Anduril’s broader Enterprise Agreement with the Army both serve as evidence of the Department of War’s focus on acquisition transformation: by establishing new, flexible approaches to acquire proven capabilities, the DoW is accelerating the delivery of top-tier tools and technology to the warfighter at scale in order to protect our citizens and servicemembers at home and abroad.

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