BlueHalo buys counter-drone firm Citadel Defense

US national security technology company BlueHalo has expanded its counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (C-UAV) portfolio by acquiring Citadel Defense, according to US private equity firm Arlington Capital Partners, which owns BlueHalo.

Citadel's Titan system, which uses jamming to force UAVs to land, will complement BlueHalo's existing C-UAV products, including the Locust Laser Weapon System, Arlington said on 8 November.

By joining BlueHalo, Citadel's “new and existing customers will benefit from an expanded set of capabilities, talent, and resources to achieve greater mission impact”, Citadel CEO Chris Williams said.

Citadel was founded in 2016 and is based in San Diego, California. Its products are used by US defence and intelligence agencies, as well as civilian, commercial, and international customers.

Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Arlington, BlueHalo, and Citadel had no immediate response to questions about the deal.

The transaction follows BlueHalo's announcement in August that it would acquire Intelligent Automation Inc to bolster its capabilities in artificial intelligence, communications, cyber security, data analytics, hypersonics, and space.

BlueHalo was formed in 2020 by merging three companies: AEgis Technologies, Applied Technology Associates, and Brilligent Solutions. It has since purchased several other companies, including space business Design & Development Engineering Services Corporation and cyber companies Base2 Engineering and Fortego.