Nobody owns the sky anymore. That reality anchored a wide-ranging conversation with MatrixSpace, a company whose technology has evolved from a data-networking concept into a core sensing layer now demonstrated and evaluated across multiple military exercises in Europe and increasingly relevant to domestic public safety agencies. In an Autonomy Global exclusive, Retired Army Brigadier General Peter “Pete” Jones and Robert “Bob” Alger of MatrixSpace unpacked how distributed radar and AI-driven sensor fusion now reshape counter-UAS strategy for the military, homeland security and public safety agencies.
First Data Networks, Then Distributed Radar
Founded in 2019 with a focus that had little to do with radar at first, the company’s early research centered on moving sensor data efficiently across networks using software-defined radios (SDR) as communication nodes. The company aimed to make data boundless so it could travel anywhere a user needed it.
That SDR hardware turned out to have a second purpose. Engineers realized the same low-power, low-cost node could also function as a radar. That discovery reshaped the company’s direction and radar became the core sensor within a broader architecture built for distributed sensing and communication.
Today, MatrixSpace’s approach treats detection as a system of systems. It pairs radar with artificial intelligence (AI) at the edge to process data locally and pass along only the actionable information, rather than flooding a network with raw sensor feeds.
Inside the MatrixSpace Product Lineup
MatrixSpace builds its hardware around a small, low-power, low-cost radar node that traces back to its SDR roots. That same core sensor now ships in several configurations designed for different missions. The radar can sit on a tripod, mount underneath a Class 2 drone, ride on a tethered drone, attach to ground vehicles and ground robots, and integrate onto manned vehicles.
Legacy counter-UAS systems were built to counter large drone threats at long ranges and are too costly to deploy at scale. MatrixSpace instead packaged its radar into a battery-powered kit that expeditionary forces can carry to the front line, where small, weaponized drones pose the greatest danger. That expeditionary kit runs on batteries, provides a local display of sensor data, and lets infantry and other forward-deployed users push detection capability close to where the small unmanned aircraft threat actually exists.
MatrixSpace also offers a 360-degree configuration, which mounts four of its radar units on a portable mast to deliver hemispherical coverage instead of the narrower wedge field of view a single radar provides. That system has been mounted on vehicles like the Stryker for expanded, vehicle-based coverage during recent exercises. Across every configuration, Alger said, the underlying design goal stays the same. Each radar layers in fusion with optical and electronic warfare data, and every unit feeds AI processing at the edge, so the network reduces raw sensor data down to the specific, actionable information a commander or officer needs to make a decision. That data has become increasingly critical, as the drone threat proliferates.
The Small Drone Threat Changes the Calculus
Jones, who commanded infantry units through three combat tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, and who studied the Russia-Ukraine conflict following the annexation of Crimea, described today’s battlefield realities. Adversaries now use small, weaponized first-person-view (FPV) drones as a cheap way to destroy expensive targets, from personnel to tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Sky superiority is a thing of the past. Ground troops now have to keep a watchful eye overhead.
Jones extended that point beyond the front line, noting that there is no sanctuary anymore for the nation’s critical infrastructure either. As the country projects power to ports, bases and other strategic sites, those locations need protection against everything from anti-ballistic missiles and hypersonic threats down to the small Class 1 through Class 3 drones that current defenses still struggle to stop. He described MatrixSpace’s role in that picture as the first wrap in a layered defense, an initial piece of what he called the onion, that gets built up with additional, higher-cost fixed-site security behind it.
Alger compared the current moment to the evolution of counter-IED technology, in which each defensive advance prompted an adversary countermeasure. Radar detected drones but did so too expensively, so operators moved to RF-based electronic warfare sensors to intercept drone video and control links. When adversaries responded by cutting those links and switching to visual or fiber-optic control, the electronic signature disappeared. Alger also described the pop-up threat problem occurring in parts of Eastern Europe. Operators hide drones and wait for a target to come within a few dozen meters before launching, giving defenders very little reaction time. The lesson, according to Alger, is that a resilient system needs radar, electronic warfare (EW) and even acoustic sensing working together, that fuses data together at the edge for rapid response.
Public Safety Gains New Authority and New Tools
The drone threat does not remain confined to the battlefield. It also poses a danger to domestic public safety. Alger noted that civil agencies only recently gained the authority to counter drones, not just detect them. (See prior AG coverage of MatrixSpace’s take on the SAFER SKIES Act) Before that authority existed, many departments hesitated to invest in detection technology because they had no way to act on what they found. That has changed. This month’s Guardian Skies counter-UAS demonstration exercise in Michigan was organized specifically for state, local, and tribal (SLTT) law enforcement teams to get first-hand exposure and training on these technologies, including the MatrixSpace Fusion multi-sensor system.
Even so, Alger pointed to drone-as-first-responder (DFR) programs as an example of why airspace awareness matters, regardless of counter-UAS authorities. Departments using the DFR model must clear the airspace before launching a drone to a scene. Traditionally, human visual observers with binoculars, who could not see far, handled that task. This outdated way of business also required significant staffing to cover a wide area. A scalable radar network, on the other hand, removes that bottleneck by building a shared situational awareness picture that helps to clear airspace without deploying spotters.
Here’s how it works. A police department places a distributed network of radar sensors along its primary drone-response route. Fused with optical and RF data, it builds a full airspace picture. Agencies can then also draw virtual warning zones around critical infrastructure or sensitive sites like schools. Any non-police drone, or manned aircraft, crossing that boundary would trigger an alert. By combining radar tracks with optical, Remote ID and RF information when available, operators can gain additional context about an aircraft, like make/model and presence of payload, to make a more informed assessment of the activity.
Jones connected this back to critical infrastructure protection. The Department of Homeland Security recognizes 16 critical infrastructure sectors, including schools. Again invoking the onion analogy, he described MatrixSpace’s role as an initial layer that wraps around a protected site before higher-cost, fixed-site security systems come into play. No single product solves the problem. Layered, defense-in-depth strategies remain the standard across the industry, he noted.
Field-Tested in Scarlet Dragon and Flytrap
MatrixSpace has put its architecture through recent military exercises that stress-tested that kind of integration under pressure. Among them, the company participated in Scarlet Dragon, an 18th Airborne Corps exercise focused on detecting and countering drone threats at the tip of the spear, from the soldier level up through platoon, company, brigade, division and corps. The exercise required MatrixSpace to rapidly integrate its sensors into the corps’ command and control (C2) network while also fusing data from partner companies’ sensors, all while operating against threats defined by the unit’s specific mission. The biggest takeaway from Scarlet Dragon, Alger said, was confirmation that an open, adaptable architecture matters as much as the sensor itself, along with the need to process data at the edge rather than pushing it through low-speed and disruptible communication links.
MatrixSpace also participated in two Flytrap exercises. Flytrap 4.5, held in northern Germany, tested integration of the company’s expeditionary kit and its 360-degree radar system into legacy C2 systems. Flytrap 5.0, held in Lithuania, mounted radars on a Stryker vehicle and tested integration with the Department of War’s next-generation C2 network. Alger said both exercises validated the value of MatrixSpace’s open application programming interface (API), which lets the company adapt quickly whenever a new exercise introduces a different C2 system or a different mix of partner sensors.
Jones linked these exercises to a broader strategic concern along what defense planners call the Eastern Front Defense Line, which stretches from the Baltics to Poland. He pointed to Estonia’s short distance from its capital to the Russian border as a reminder of how quickly airspace threats can reach sensitive areas. That urgency is already playing out in Lithuania, where officials are drafting evacuation and contingency plans in response to repeated drone incursions. It validates the requirement that systems must be able to plug into whatever C2 network a NATO ally happens to be running that week.
Open Architecture as the New Currency
Proprietary, closed systems slow everyone down. Alger cited the Army’s Jailbreak initiative, aimed at prying open legacy systems whose manufacturers have historically protected their data to preserve lucrative upgrade contracts. He credited Anduril’s Lattice system with pushing the industry toward plug-and-play integration through open APIs, a shift now visible both in fielded battle systems and in border security deployments.
Jones added that in an era of fast-moving technology, the Department of War cannot afford closed systems if it wants to keep pace with evolving threats. Sharing data across platforms, he said, has become as important as ammunition.
Along those lines, newer procurement pathways, such as the marketplace maintained by the Joint Interagency Task Force 401, are shortening the painfully slow acquisition timelines that have historically taken up to 18 months from contract award to fielded equipment. These marketplaces pre-qualify hardware so the military, NATO allies, and domestic Federal + SLTT agencies can buy proven systems quickly. MatrixSpace has secured a spot in that marketplace, alongside similar rapid-acquisition pathways through organizations like the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU).
Jailbreaking the Counter-Drone Space
MatrixSpace has had a lot of success over the past several years. For companies or agencies looking to break into the counter-UAS ecosystem, Alger offered three hard-fought lessons learned:
- Research the organizations that host qualification events and sign up for their distribution lists to learn about upcoming demonstrations.
- Show up and demonstrate the technology in person, since the industry runs on direct, hands-on proof rather than paper specifications.
- Expect an evolutionary process, where early demonstrations build recognition, later invitations lead to formal qualifying events, and only systems that pass real-world threat testing gain access to procurement contract vehicles.
Jones closed with an open door invitation to prospective partners, whether they build carriers, kinetic effectors or non-kinetic countermeasures to help build “the onion” of layered collaborative defense that no single company or sensor can deliver alone.
Learn more about MatrixSpace at matrixspace.com, or reach General Jones directly to discuss future threats and partnership opportunities at peter.jones@matrixspace.com.
Watch the full Episode 140 of the Dawn of Autonomy with MatrixSpace.