KIELCE, Poland — U.S. radar maker Echodyne is considering a manufacturing presence in Europe as demand grows for radar-equipped counter-drone systems, a move that could build on its newly announced work with Norway’s Kongsberg.
Kongsberg has selected Echodyne’s MESA radar platform for a broad range of air and surface applications. The selection includes integration of Echodyne radars into Kongsberg’s Protector RS4 and Protector RS6 remote weapon stations, according to Echodyne CEO Eben Frankenberg.
Kongsberg integration
Frankenberg told Defense News at the MSPO defense show in Kielce that Echodyne has had longstanding cooperation with Kongsberg. He said the integration is expected to raise the company’s profile in European markets while adapting weapon stations for a mission they were not originally designed to perform.
Those remote weapon stations, which weren’t originally designed to counter drone threats, [will be] effective at countering drone threats. And this is something we do with a lot of companies.
Eben Frankenberg, Echodyne CEO
Echodyne’s radar offerings are intended to provide detection and fire-control support for counter-drone systems. The company is weighing European production against a backdrop of surging regional demand for miniaturized radars used in those applications.
European production under consideration
The company has not identified a prospective European location or announced an investment. Frankenberg said the deliberations reflect both the size of the market and interest among European countries in greater local content.
There’s obviously a big European demand and there’s rightfully some interest from European countries in having more local content. We’re thinking about where it would make the most sense.
Eben Frankenberg, Echodyne CEO
Any European expansion would follow the opening of Echodyne’s new manufacturing facility in Washington state in July 2026. The company said it invested $40 million in the 86,350-square-foot plant, which is ultimately expected to be capable of producing more than 30,000 radar systems annually.
Frankenberg described the Washington facility as a potential model for future sites. By establishing the equipment, workstations and staffing needed for production at the new plant, he said, Echodyne has created a template that could support additional facilities later.
Part of the plan with the new facility was that it gives us a template or blueprint to be able to open other new facilities in the future. Because now we know exactly all the machines we need to have, all the workstations, the number of people to equip them. So it does set us up for that in the future.
Eben Frankenberg, Echodyne CEO
