Echodyne opens $40M radar factory near Seattle to meet booming demand for drone detection

Echodyne, the Seattle-area radar-platform company, cut the ribbon Wednesday on a new $40 million manufacturing facility designed to meet growing demand for its drone-detection and airspace-monitoring systems.

Headquartered in Kirkland, Wash., Echodyne is opening an 86,350-square-foot manufacturing and operations hub in nearby Woodinville, Wash., that it says will eventually be able to produce more than 2,500 radars each month — or roughly 30,000 radars annually.

Echodyne says the expansion is fueled by U.S. and global demand for safety and security radars that can detect and track drones, driven in part by their proliferation on the battlefield in the Russia-Ukraine War and the fast-growing “low altitude economy” of commercial drone operations that require airspace monitoring.

Echodyne currently employs 260 people, and the new facility will support more than 100 new jobs and up to 200 as the facility reaches full production capacity, according to the company.

“Our global customer base is demanding more radar to be delivered as fast as possible,” CEO Eben Frankenberg said in a news release, adding that the proliferation of drones requires reliable, at-scale production. “The only way to defend against mass is with mass.”

Echodyne was spun out of Bellevue-based Intellectual Ventures in 2014 and has drawn backing from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, along with NEA, Madrona Venture Group, Baillie Gifford and Northrop Grumman, among others. The company raised $135 million in a 2022 investment round and total funding is $200 million.

The company’s radar systems rely on patented “metamaterials” technology — a flat-panel antenna that can electronically steer its beam without any moving parts — which Echodyne says allows for smaller, cheaper radar than conventional designs.

Echodyne originally focused on using compact radar to help drones detect and avoid obstacles in flight, before pivoting toward counter-drone security as demand grew for systems that could track other drones — including cheap, mass-produced ones deployed on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Echodyne’s radar technology is integrated into systems from Anduril, Axon, Moog and Northrop Grumman, among other defense companies, the company said. Most recently, Echodyne was selected as the primary radar provider for Trust Automation’s drone-detection platform, which is being delivered to the U.S. Air Force under a $490 million contract.

Wednesday’s ribbon cutting was attended by Sen. Maria Cantwell, U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, Woodinville Mayor Sarah Arndt, and Michael Robbins, president and CEO of AUVSI, the trade association for the uncrewed systems, autonomy, and robotics industry.

The new hub allocates approximately 74,350 square feet to manufacturing space and 12,000 square feet to warehousing.