MatrixSpace was selected as the overall winner of the Defense Innovation Unit’s Counter-UAS Low-Cost Sensing Challenge after live testing during USNORTHCOM’s Falcon Peak 25.2 exercise.
The company’s radar-based system outperformed more than 115 submissions and earned a $500,000 award, with eligibility for follow-on contracts.
MatrixSpace announced today that it has been selected as the overall winner of the Defense Innovation Unit’s Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft System (C-sUAS) Low-Cost Sensing (LCS) Challenge, following live operational testing conducted during U.S. Northern Command’s Falcon Peak 25.2 exercise.
The selection places MatrixSpace at the top of more than 115 submissions evaluated by the Defense Innovation Unit in collaboration with U.S. Northern Command, Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401), the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
As the top-performing solution, MatrixSpace will receive a $500,000 award. Guardian RF, Hidden Level, Inc., and Teledyne FLIR Defense were named the next three highest-performing solutions and will each receive $100,000.
MatrixSpace’s system advanced to the final phase of the competition as one of ten finalists selected for live testing at Falcon Peak 25.2, where solutions were evaluated under unscripted and operationally relevant conditions. According to the Defense Innovation Unit, the testing included a range of small unmanned aircraft flown individually and in coordinated groups, using diverse communication methods and flight profiles.
As noted by MatrixSpace, its solution is designed around an ultra-portable, distributed architecture that integrates low size, weight, power, and cost radar with AI-enabled edge processing and cloud connectivity.
“Building on our recent selection for Army xTech and Operation Flytrap 4.5, we are proud to be selected as the top performer and winner as a part of this DIU-led effort with an elite group of service branches to showcase how ultra-portable, AI-enabled, and cloud-connected CUAS solutions are redefining force protection for today’s defenders,” said Matthew Kling, vice president and general manager of AI Products at MatrixSpace.
“Our platform combines ultra-low SWaP-C radar, AI-driven edge intelligence, and distributed, networked CUAS powered by AiCloud to deliver unmatched performance in the field,” Kling said. “During the evaluation, we successfully detected, tracked, and classified every sortie flown—including RF-dark fiber FPVs, commercial drones, and custom-built UAVs—demonstrating that portable systems can deliver mission-critical capability without compromise.”
The LCS challenge was launched in May 2025 to identify sensing technologies capable of complementing existing high-end systems by enabling broader, more distributed counter-UAS coverage at lower cost. According to DIU, the finalist systems demonstrated potential reductions of 50 to 80 percent in total cost of ownership while meeting key performance and integration requirements.
During Falcon Peak 25.2, MatrixSpace’s solution was evaluated on detection, classification, localization, scalability, cost efficiency, and readiness for integration into joint command-and-control architectures. DIU stated that finalists were not informed in advance of the specific platforms or tactics they would face, ensuring that performance results reflected real-world operating conditions.
The Defense Innovation Unit said the LCS challenge supports efforts to field counter-UAS capabilities at speed and scale, particularly in fixed, mobile, and austere environments. As the overall winner, MatrixSpace will be eligible for potential follow-on opportunities, including Other Transaction agreements and additional contract pathways, to support transition into operational use.
