CoVar Demonstrates BullsEye Counter-Drone Capability at U.S. Army Warden 2026
AI Analysis
CoVar successfully demonstrated its BullsEye counter-drone system at the U.S. Army's Warden 2026 event, utilizing existing Android and Nett Warrior devices for detection, tracking, and localization of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS). The system leverages passive sensing via device cameras and integrates directly with the ATAK platform for threat data dissemination. BullsEye operates both as a standalone system and in a networked configuration for improved geolocation accuracy.
Key Takeaways
- BullsEye utilizes commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) Android devices and military-hardened Nett Warrior devices, minimizing additional hardware requirements.
- The system employs passive sensing using existing device cameras, avoiding reliance on radar or RF signatures.
- BullsEye integrates directly with the ATAK platform, providing a common operating picture for threat awareness.
- The system can function as a standalone device providing relative bearing and track, or as a networked system for absolute geolocation via triangulation.
- Warden 2026 is a key Army event for evaluating and accelerating the adoption of promising C-sUAS technologies.
Why It Matters
This demonstration highlights a shift towards leveraging existing soldier equipment for C-sUAS capabilities, reducing logistical burdens and costs. The use of passive detection methods is significant as it circumvents the limitations of RF-based systems susceptible to jamming or detection avoidance. Successful integration with ATAK streamlines threat data sharing and enhances battlefield awareness.
CoVar Demonstrates BullsEye Counter-Drone Capability at U.S. Army Warden 2026 Accessibility Statement Skip Navigation
Detection and tracking that runs on the Android and Nett Warrior devices Soldiers already carry, with no dedicated counter-UAS hardware
DURHAM, N.C., June 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- CoVar demonstrated its BullsEye counter-drone capability at the U.S. Army's Warden 2026 demonstration, detecting, tracking, and localizing unmanned aircraft using the Android devices the Army already fields. Over the two-week event, BullsEye detected, tracked, and localized sUAS threats from a single device and also from networked teams of devices, feeding target data straight into ATAK.
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CoVar at U.S. Army Warden 2026
Warden 2026 is a competitively selected, two-week demonstration where government, industry, and research partners evaluate next-generation counter-small unmanned aircraft system (C-sUAS) solutions against live threats. Throughout the event, Army personnel flew a variety of drones and drone swarms to stress both detection and defeat technologies. CoVar participated in the detection portion of the mission, relying only on passive sensing using the Android's built in RGB cameras. BullsEye successfully detected, tracked, and localized drones throughout the Warden demonstration.
BullsEye turns commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) Android devices, and military-hardened versions like Nett Warrior, into multi-function sensing and communications payloads. It runs on the hardware already inside the device: the camera, microphone, IMU, onboard compute, and communications stack. There is no bespoke AI/ML box to buy, integrate, sustain, or carry and BullsEye is configurable to any mission requiring target recognition.
At Warden, CoVar showed that BullsEye could operate as a standalone system or as a network of collaborative devices. A single device gives an operator relative bearing and track on a drone, shown directly on the handset or in ATAK. Networked devices triangulate to fix absolute geolocation and push those positions into ATAK, so a collection of devices can feed a common operating picture of current threats.
"Counter-drone doesn't have to mean one more piece of kit on a Soldier's back," said Dr. Joe Camilo, CoVar's Vice President and Executive Lead of the BullsEye product line. "We took the device that's already in their hands and taught it to find, track, and report the threat. At Warden we put that against real drones, in the field, and it delivered."
Warden is part of a broader Army effort to test counter-drone technology on a recurring basis and move what works to the field faster. The data collected during the event informs how the service evaluates emerging capabilities and where it invests next. CoVar will continue to mature BullsEye and pursue opportunities to put it in Soldiers' hands.
About CoVar
CoVar develops artificial intelligence, machine learning, and autonomy solutions for the most demanding national sec