Shield AI to acquire radar maker Echodyne to bust drones

Shield AI agreed to acquire Echodyne in a $5.3 billion transaction announced Thursday — a major financial transaction that expands the prime defense contractors’ drone-warfare capabilities. Echodyne produces next-generation, solid-state radar systems patented as Metamaterials Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) technology. Its highly advanced systems are flexible and can be easily incorporated into a wide variety of weapons and monitoring systems to detect drones, including high-energy lasers and microwave weapons. In September, Echodyne was awarded a $250 million contract by the Defense…