Drone Wars

What Defense Gets Wrong About C-UAS: Nathan Mintz

Mar 18, 2026
Nathan Mintz, co-founder and CEO of CX2 and former Boeing/Raytheon engineer, builds spectrum dominance and counter‑UAS tools. He explains why locating ground controllers matters more than jamming drones. He shares field tests that find hidden pilots, rapid development wins, investor signals for defense startups, and how AI and middleware can tie drone systems together.
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INSIGHT

Find The Pilot Not Just The Drone

  • CX2's Vadris focuses on locating the ground controller instead of just the drone to enable offensive counter-UAS actions.
  • The device provides angle-of-arrival arrows and IDs so operators can hunt the archer and move visually to the pilot's position.
ANECDOTE

Rapid Field Tests Found Pilots In Minutes

  • CX2 tests by giving a hidden pilot a 10–15 minute head start, launching an FPV to detect and point an arrow, then trainees follow the arrow to the pilot.
  • In a mountain-town urban training, seven Marine pilots found the ground controller within five minutes after brief training.
ANECDOTE

From Demo To Hundreds Of Units In Months

  • CX2 progressed from demo to contract rapidly: SOCOM demo in July, Project GI demo in September, contract by October, and plans to deliver hundreds of units.
  • Nathan frames this as a successful example of moving fast when regulators step aside.
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