Sentrycs Wins 2025 Army Innovation Award for Advanced Counter-UAS Solution

Israeli firm Sentrycs has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Army Technology Innovation Award for its advanced counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) solution. The system leverages radio frequency (RF) signal analysis and protocol-based mitigation to detect, track, and neutralize commercial drones with high precision and minimal collateral disruption. This recognition underscores the growing importance of non-kinetic C-UAS technologies in modern battlefield environments.

RF-Based Detection and Protocol Exploitation at the Core

Sentrycs’ counter-drone platform is built around passive RF detection capabilities that allow it to identify and localize drones based on their unique communication signatures. Unlike radar-based systems that can struggle with small or low-flying UAVs in cluttered environments, Sentrycs’ solution listens for control signals between a drone and its operator. It then uses a proprietary database of known protocols—primarily targeting DJI platforms but expanding to others—to classify threats in real time.

The innovation lies in how Sentrycs exploits these protocols not only to identify but also to take over or disable hostile UAVs. By mimicking legitimate control signals or injecting spoofed commands, the system can force a drone to land safely or return to its origin point. This method avoids jamming or kinetic engagement—both of which carry risks of collateral interference or escalation.

GNSS Spoofing Integration Enhances Mitigation Options

In addition to protocol-level intervention, Sentrycs integrates GNSS spoofing techniques as a secondary mitigation layer. This capability allows the system to manipulate a drone’s perceived location by feeding it false GPS coordinates—a tactic particularly effective against semi-autonomous UAVs that rely on satellite navigation rather than live operator control.

This multi-layered approach—RF detection plus protocol hijack plus GNSS spoofing—gives operators flexible engagement options depending on rules of engagement (ROE), environmental constraints, or platform type. Importantly, all actions are designed to be reversible and non-destructive wherever possible.

Operational Use Cases Across Military and Civil Domains

Sentrycs systems have been deployed in both military installations and civilian infrastructure protection roles across Europe, Asia-Pacific, and North America. In military contexts, they are used to secure forward operating bases (FOBs), logistics hubs, airfields, and command posts from ISR-capable commercial drones used by adversaries for reconnaissance or targeting.

Civilian applications include airport perimeter defense, VIP protection events such as G20 summits or sporting venues, and critical infrastructure like power plants or data centers. The low footprint of the system—often deployable from a single mast-mounted sensor node—makes it suitable for rapid deployment scenarios.

Army Technology Innovation Award Criteria & Significance

The U.S. Army’s annual Technology Innovation Award recognizes solutions that demonstrate exceptional potential for operational impact through novel technological approaches. In 2025, over 150 nominations were submitted across domains including robotics/autonomy, AI/ML applications in ISR processing, EW resilience tools, and C-UAS systems.

Sentrycs was selected based on four key criteria:

Novelty: Unique use of RF fingerprinting combined with protocol-level takeover capabilities.
Scalability: Modular architecture suitable for integration into layered base defense networks.
Operational Maturity: Proven deployments with NATO-aligned forces since early 2023.
Low Collateral Risk: Non-jamming approach avoids interference with friendly comms/electronics.

The award was presented during the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting in Washington D.C., where Sentrycs also demonstrated live interception scenarios using simulated DJI drones within a controlled environment.

Evolving Threat Landscape Drives Demand for Protocol-Level C-UAS Tools

The proliferation of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) drones in conflict zones—from Ukraine to Syria—has exposed vulnerabilities in traditional air defense architectures ill-equipped to handle small UAV threats at scale. While radar-cued kinetic interceptors like Coyote Block II remain vital against Group 3+ UAVs (<25 kg), they are cost-inefficient against swarms of $300 quadcopters used for ISR or FPV strikes.

Sentrycs’ approach aligns with emerging doctrine emphasizing electronic warfare (EW)-based soft-kill layers within multi-domain defense-in-depth frameworks. By enabling early detection at long ranges without emitting detectable signals itself (passive RF), it contributes both situational awareness and low-risk mitigation options suitable even in urban terrain where jamming is problematic.

Future Development Roadmap & NATO Interoperability Goals

Sentrycs is currently expanding its threat library beyond DJI platforms toward Autel Robotics models as well as custom-built FPV drones increasingly seen in asymmetric conflicts. The company is also pursuing STANAG compliance pathways—including Link-16 cueing integration—to enable seamless interoperability within NATO C4ISR architectures.

A future software update roadmap includes AI-assisted signal classification using neural networks trained on real-world drone telemetry datasets gathered during field operations across Ukraine and Israel. These enhancements aim to reduce false positives while increasing response speed under complex electromagnetic conditions such as urban clutter or EW-contested zones.

Conclusion: A Non-Kinetic Edge Against Drone Proliferation

Sentrycs’ recognition by the U.S. Army reflects broader institutional shifts toward layered counter-drone strategies that emphasize precision over brute force. Its passive RF-based toolkit offers militaries a scalable way to defend against low-cost aerial threats without risking escalation through electronic fratricide or collateral damage—a capability increasingly essential on today’s fragmented battlefields where every watt counts as much as every warhead.