Pentagon picks Picket’s rotating turret for counter-drone test
AI Analysis
Picket Defense Systems' Inferno RTC system has been selected by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) for Phase II testing under the C-UAS Close-In Kinetic Defeat Enhancement program. This system addresses the critical vulnerability of existing close-in defenses against drone swarms by utilizing a multi-barrel rotating turret. Live testing with Department of War evaluators is scheduled for this month.
Key Takeaways
- Picket Defense Systems selected for Phase II of DIU's C-UAS program.
- Inferno RTC system aims to reduce aiming latency in close-in engagements.
- The system employs a rotating turret with multiple munitions.
- Traditional C-UAS systems struggle against coordinated drone swarms due to slew rate limitations.
- DIU's Commercial Solutions Opening process allows for rapid prototyping and fielding.
Why It Matters
The development of systems like Inferno RTC is crucial for countering the evolving threat of drone swarms, which are increasingly being adopted by adversaries. Addressing the 'aiming latency' problem is a significant step towards effective close-in defense, potentially shifting the advantage away from swarm tactics. Successful testing could lead to rapid procurement and deployment, bolstering force protection capabilities.
Pentagon picks Picket’s rotating turret for counter-drone test
Published: 2026-06-09T08:49:26-05:00 Source: defence-blog.com (defence-blog.com) Language: en
Story
Pentagon picks Picket’s rotating turret for counter-drone test
Search
type here...
Search
Pentagon picks Picket’s rotating turret for counter-drone test
Jun 9, 2026
Modified date: Jun 9, 2026
An artist rendering of the Inferno RTC system
Key Points
- Contact
- Picket Defense Systems was selected by the Defense Innovation Unit for Phase II of its C-UAS Close-In Kinetic Defeat Enhancement program, advancing its Inferno RTC system.
- Picket will demonstrate Inferno RTC capabilities to DIU and Department of War evaluators in live testing this month; contract values and quantities have not been disclosed.
A U.S. defense startup has been selected by the Defense Innovation Unit, a Department of War organization focused on accelerating commercial technology into military use, to advance an autonomous close-in weapon system designed to reduce aiming latency in close-in counter-drone engagements, moving into Phase II testing in front of Department of War evaluators this month.
Picket Defense Systems announced Tuesday that the Defense Innovation Unit selected the company for Phase II of its Counter-UAS Close-In Kinetic Defeat Enhancement program, specifically the Remote Weapon System Enhancement track. The selection advances Picket’s Inferno RTC system through the DIU’s Commercial Solutions Opening process, a procurement pathway that can lead directly to prototype contracts and accelerated fielding without the years-long timelines of traditional military acquisition. Phase II means Picket will demonstrate the Inferno RTC’s capabilities in front of DIU and Department of War evaluators in live testing, the stage where paper claims become documented performance.
The aiming latency problem the Inferno RTC is designed to solve sits at the heart of why existing close-in weapon systems struggle against coordinated drone swarms. Every conventional counter-drone gun, whether vehicle-mounted or fixed at a site, must physically rotate or slew a barrel to point at an incoming threat before it can fire. On fast electromechanical systems that slew time is measured in fractions of a second, which against a single drone at moderate speed is manageable. Against a swarm of fast-moving drones arriving simultaneously from multiple directions, it becomes an insurmountable sequencing problem: the system can only point at one threat at a time, and while it is aiming at threat number one, threats two, three, and four are closing the distance unchallenged. That tactical reality has driven adversary swarm doctrine in exactly this direction, deliberately using multiple simultaneous vectors to saturate single-barrel defenses that cannot be in two places at once.
- ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW -
The Inferno RTC is built around a patented rotating turret design that mounts multiple munition ba