Defense & Aerospace Report Defense & Aerospace Daily Podcast [Mar 24, 2026] Echodyne's Eben Frankenberg on Affordable Electronically Scanned Radars
Mar 24, 2026
Eben Frankenberg, CEO and co-founder of Echodyne, which builds compact metamaterial‑based electronically scanned radars. He discusses turning lab metamaterials into affordable radars for counter‑drone and airspace surveillance. He covers scaling manufacturing, commercial vs. defense markets, ITAR‑free exports, and how recent wars and funding shifts shape demand for radar networks.
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Rapid Scale With 30,000 Unit Capacity Plant
- Echodyne is scaling rapidly and building a Seattle-area facility with capacity exceeding 30,000 radars per year.
- Current growth runs well above 100% annually and the company already makes thousands of radars per year.
Hardware First Unlocks Repeated Software Gains
- High-performance hardware (electronically scanned arrays) enables powerful software features, so hardware-first design unlocks long-term capability upgrades.
- Echodyne sells hardware with integrated software and offers software upgrades over time to add mission features and classification.
Design For Accuracy And Clutter Suppression
- Prioritize accuracy and clutter rejection in counter-drone radar design to cue effectors reliably.
- Operators need target-level accuracy—not just detection—so radars must suppress birds and other clutter to avoid false engagements.