D.C. Bolsters Counter-Drone Capability With Web of Sensors

Government-owned Athena system aggregates data from an array of sensors to create a full picture of UAS activity.

Jack Daleo

Monday, January 26, 2026 at 10:30 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

A Skydio X10 drone conducts surveillance around Ray Rangel Air Base during Exercise Coyote Shield at Dyess Air Force Base near Abilene, Texas, in October 2025. [Credit: Jade Caldwell/U.S. Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. military has deployed "Athena," a new counter-UAS (C-UAS) system in the National Capital Region (NCR), which has achieved initial operating capability to detect, identify, and enable responses to unauthorized drone activity.
Athena creates a "fused, actionable air picture" by integrating sensor data from multiple government agencies, providing enhanced speed and precision in safeguarding the highly restricted NCR airspace.
This deployment is part of a larger U.S. government effort to strengthen C-UAS capabilities nationwide, driven by concerns over increasing drone disruptions, significant budget allocations, and new interagency initiatives.

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As U.S. President Donald Trump pursues a Golden Dome to shield the country from missile attacks, the government is quietly introducing a similar, smaller system in the National Capital Region (NCR) around Washington, D.C.

On Thursday, the military’s Air Forces Northern and Air Forces Space units—collectively known as CONR-1AF and responsible for protecting the U.S. from aerial threats—unveiled a system that is designed to create a “fused, actionable air picture” of all uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) activity in the region.