Allen Control Systems Establishes Directed Energy Division to Advance Counter-Drone Laser Systems

WASHINGTON — Allen Control Systems, a robotics and counter-drone specialist, announced Tuesday the launch of a new directed energy division focused on delivering high-energy laser systems to U.S. and allied militaries for neutralizing adversarial drones.

“With the threat of low-cost weaponized drones escalating rapidly around the world, the Directed Energy division reflects ACS’s continued investment in developing scalable and cost-effective capabilities so U.S. and allied governments can stay ahead of this urgent national security challenge,” the company stated in a press release.

ACS currently produces the Bullfrog counter-drone system, a mountable platform that employs artificial intelligence to autonomously track and engage drone threats using small-caliber ammunition. The company reports individual rounds cost as little as $10 each, according to its website.

Earlier this year, former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll disclosed that the Pentagon had procured 12 Bullfrog systems to support operational requirements related to Iran.

“The defense industry has invested heavily in directed energy, but generating a powerful beam is only part of the challenge. You still have to find a fast-moving threat, stay on target, and engage it with precision,” said Joe Bingold, ACS chief executive and president. “ACS has already demonstrated those capabilities with our Bullfrog autonomous weapon station, and applying that expertise to directed energy is a powerful combination.”

The company did not specify which laser technologies the new division will pursue. However, ACS lists a dual-band laser dazzler and a three-kilowatt laser as capabilities under “future development” on its website.

The division will be led by Amanda Clark and John Mason, both former leaders at the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC). Clark most recently served as chief of the directed energy division at SMDC, while Mason led the command’s directed energy technologies branch.

The announcement arrives amid growing Pentagon interest in laser weapons, which use concentrated energy beams to heat and destroy targets. Such systems offer a potentially lower-cost alternative to firing expensive interceptor missiles against relatively inexpensive drone threats.

The Army recently awarded AeroVironment a production contract worth up to $464.8 million for high-energy lasers under the Enduring-High Energy Laser (E-HEL) program, marking the service’s first such award.

The Pentagon is also deploying the Army’s Multipurpose High Energy Laser (AMP-HEL) prototype along the southern border to counter cartel-operated drones, while testing other emerging laser technologies in the region. The AMP-HEL system was also reportedly deployed at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in recent weeks.

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