Fortem's drone-hunting drones are building the case that you can stop a cheap quadcopter without debris, jamming, or collateral damage.
Autonomous Low-Collateral Counter-UAS Interception
work active confidence: Low status: Draft updated 2026-07-14
Summary
Fortem Technologies, based in Pleasant Grove and Lindon, Utah, builds autonomous counter-drone systems centered on its DroneHunter interceptor and SkyDome radar and command-and-control stack. If autonomous low-collateral interception becomes a standard layer of civil and military airspace defense, Fortem's platform could represent a genuine architectural contribution.
Impact
If autonomous low-collateral interception becomes a standard layer of civil and military airspace defense, Fortem's platform could represent a genuine architectural contribution. The Lindon facility opened in 2025 and its captured capacity list includes 600 radars, 40 DroneHunter interceptors, 300+ GLAAMs, and 20 drone hangars per month (manufacturing announcement).
The moral complexity is real: systems deployed for infrastructure protection have also appeared in active conflict zones where "low collateral" is measured against battlefield norms, not civil-aviation standards.
What It Took
A system stack combining compact TrueView radar for detection and tracking, DroneHunter autonomous interceptors, and SkyDome command-and-control software for networked airspace management. The technical claim is a low-size, weight, and power radar family capable of tracking small, low-flying drones at close range, paired with interceptors that can act autonomously once a threat is confirmed — removing reaction-time limitations of human-in-the-loop systems. DroneHunter 5.0 (2026) is the current generation, designed around counter-swarm scenarios.
Utah Context
Fortem is headquartered in Pleasant Grove and built its advanced manufacturing facility in Lindon, Utah in 2025. The company says design, radar production, and interceptor manufacturing are consolidated in that facility. Utah's combination of defense procurement relationships, aerospace supply chains, and outdoor test space has supported Fortem's development and test program.
Evidence
- Fortem: DroneHunter Launch (2018) · https://fortemtech.com/press-releases/2018-02-15-fortem-announces-dronehunter/ — original product announcement
- Fortem: Advanced Manufacturing Headquarters (2025) · https://fortemtech.com/press-releases/2025-06-17-fortem-technologies-opens-new-advanced-manufacturing-headquarters-to-meet-global-demand-for-counter-drone-defense/ — source record
- Fortem: DroneHunter 5.0 Deliveries (Jan 2026) · https://preview.fortemtech.com/press-releases/2026-01-20-fortem-technologies-begins-deliveries-of-next-generation-dronehunter-5-0-advancing-counter-swarm-defense/
- Fortem Technologies website · https://fortemtech.com/ — source record
Open Questions
- Counter-UAS operational claims are rarely independently verified; performance data in contested environments is largely classified or proprietary.
- The threat landscape (FPV drones, swarms, electronic warfare) is evolving fast; today's DroneHunter 5.0 may face challenges that require significant redesign.
- Company-reported capture counts and deployment numbers need independent corroboration.
- Ethical framing of active military deployments versus civil-airspace protection deserves ongoing scrutiny.