CUAS / Force Protection

Counter-UAS and force protection in one operational system.

Empyrean unifies CUAS sensors, fused tracking, spectrum awareness, mission planning, policy automation, and counter adversary operations response into one platform for site defense and airspace security. CUAS is not just a detection problem. It is a fusion, planning, spectrum, and response problem.

The Problem

Drone threats are cheap, frequent, low-signature, and multi-modal. They are often seen differently by different sensors and handled through disconnected tools. Most CUAS workflows are fragmented: one sensor sees motion, another sees RF, another sees video, another sees ODID. Operators manually reconcile them. Effectors are separate. Planning is separate. Spectrum understanding is separate. By the time a coordinated picture exists, the moment has passed.

Who Has This Problem

Force Protection TeamsCUAS OperatorsAir Defense UnitsSite & Perimeter SecurityCritical Infrastructure SecuritySOF and Conventional ForcesMission Planners
CUAS common operational picture with fused multi-sensor tracks
CUAS track control plane with asset and track management
CUAS policy engine with progressive escalation rules
CUAS route planning with terrain and RF-aware propagation

Key Workflows

01Multi-sensor fused tracking: correlate passive radar, acoustic, RF, Remote ID / ODID, EO/IR, and ISR feeds into one fused operational track with identity provenance and kinematic state handled independently
02Progressive policy escalation: at 5,000m begin live kinematics session; at 500m update disposition and alert; on airspace breach, task effector, initiate remote takeover, or cue jamming. All configurable, all authority-gated
03Spectrum and control-channel analysis: monitor drone control channels, burst behavior, frequency hopping, waveform confidence, and pattern of life to support detection, attribution, and EMSO escalation
04Mission planning and red-team analysis: terrain-, weather-, cellular-, and RF-aware propagation modeling for friendly UAS route planning and adversary ingress assessment
05Friendly UAS integration: connect to Skydio, DJI, and other platforms for mission updates, COA dispatch, video streaming, and map-reflected position
06Authority-gated engagement: every escalation step is configurable; auto-approve, operator approval, commander approval, or two-person rule, with a forensic audit trail on every action

Capabilities

Fused multi-sensor tracking (radar, RF, acoustic, EO/IR, ODID, ISR) with passive CUAS sensor support
Identity provenance separated from kinematics; incomplete sensor reports still contribute
Non-greedy multi-hypothesis tracking (MHT) with optimal global assignment
Progressive policy escalation with configurable distance and behavior thresholds
Authority-gated effector tasking (HITL / HOTL / two-person rule)
Slew-to-cue and effector dispatch with intercept window modeling
Drone control-channel monitoring and waveform analysis via passive RF detection
Pattern of life, burst behavior, and frequency hop detection
EMSO escalation to Electronic Order of Battle (EOOB)
Terrain-, weather-, cellular-, and RF-aware route and approach planning
Counter-UAS radar integration (EchoDyne EchoShield/EchoGuard, AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR)
Friendly UAS integration (Skydio, DJI) with mission tasking and video ingest
Doctrine-driven ROE enforcement with forensic audit trail
Multi-layer CUAS defense with automated sensor cueing and handoff

Platform Integration

CUAS is a mission outcome built from the full Empyrean stack. Fused tracks come from the Fusion Engine. Spectrum and control-channel analysis runs through EMSO. Escalation and ROE enforcement run through the decision layer. All tracks, alerts, and effector actions render on the COP. Planning tools use the same map and overlay system operators use for every other domain.

← All capabilities

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Resource11 min read

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Resource11 min read

What is Maritime Intelligence?

Maritime intelligence explained: AIS limits, dark vessels, beneficial ownership, sanctions risk, and multi-INT fusion at sea.

Resource7 min read

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OPSEC, UTS, and Digital Force Protection explained: the five-step process, five threat vectors, and signature management.

Resource13 min read

What is ATAK?

ATAK explained: TAK clients, EUDs, data packages, mesh networks, federation, plugins, and the CoT protocol that ties it together.

Resource26 min read

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Defense & intelligence glossary: acronyms and terms for EMSO, C-UAS, JADC2, sensor fusion, SSA, CTF, entity resolution, and TAK.

Resource13 min read

What is Counter Threat Finance?

Counter Threat Finance (CTF) explained: DoDD 5205.14 doctrine, CTF vs. AML, sanctions, shell companies, TBML, and operational software.

Resource10 min read

What is Entity Resolution?

Entity Resolution explained: deterministic, probabilistic, ML, and graph methods for matching records to real-world identities.

Resource13 min read

What is Narrative Intelligence?

Narrative Intelligence (NARINT) explained: detecting and countering influence operations, DISARM framework, CIB, and OSINT.

Resource13 min read

What is EMSO?

EMSO explained: Electronic Warfare, EMBM, JEMSO, Electronic Order of Battle, CEMA, spectrum management, and operational software.

Resource12 min read

What is a Common Operational Picture?

Common Operational Picture (COP) explained: why most COPs fail, display vs. decision surface, edge deployment, and true fusion.

Resource13 min read

What is Space Situational Awareness?

Space Situational Awareness (SSA) explained: orbital tracking, TLEs, the Space Surveillance Network, and counterspace threats.

Resource12 min read

What is Counter-UAS?

Counter-UAS (C-UAS) explained: sensors, fusion, effectors, legal authorities, and layered drone defense for military and critical sites.

Resource12 min read

What is JADC2?

JADC2 explained: why top-down fails, what sensor-up architecture means, and why edge-deployed fusion survives contact.

Resource11 min read

What is Sensor Fusion?

Sensor fusion explained: state estimation, data association, multi-hypothesis tracking, identity provenance, and edge deployment.

Research43 min read

High-Powered Microwave (HPM): From Hard Kill to Residual Risk

3,400 Monte Carlo runs reveal HPM's service-rate ceiling, residual warhead hazard, and cascade failure against 40-400 drone swarms.

Research48 min read

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USMC MRIC vs 60 CJ-10 cruise missiles: 92.7% kill rate, then magazine exhaustion at T+28:37. The Marines need more rounds.

Research34 min read

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DF-17 HGV vs Arleigh Burke: 50 Monte Carlo seeds, SM-6 at 23% kill rate, PAC-3 at zero. The timeline is the constraint.

Insight47 min read

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Insight20 min read

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Weather & environmental intelligence that modifies sensor confidence, route feasibility, and UAS BVLOS risk in real time.

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Insight7 min read

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Introducing Empyrean Defense Research: unclassified, physics-backed wargaming. First drop: 1,500 Monte Carlo sims of DF-17 vs DDG.

Insight37 min read

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Space domain impacts on EW, ground, maritime, air, and information ops — and what you can do to counter them.

Insight74 min read

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Counter-UAS playbook: 8 sensor types, fusion methods, jam vs. shoot decisions, and layered drone defense for DDIL environments.

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Empyrean Defense

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