Miles Jamison 
- Hidden Level will provide passive sensing capabilities to support military counter-drone operations under an OTA from the Department of War
- The award covers deployment of radio frequency sensor technology at military bases, test ranges and along the U.S. border
- Hidden Level’s systems are designed to detect, track and identify both crewed aircraft and drones, including RF-silent threats
Hidden Level has secured a $100 million other transaction authority contract from the Department of War to provide passive sensing technology designed to support counter-unmanned aircraft systems, or C-UAS, missions, the company announced Thursday.
What Will Hidden Level Provide Under the OTA?
Under the agreement, Hidden Level will supply hardware, software and its Airspace Monitoring Service, or AMS, to U.S. military organizations. The award covers deployment of the company’s radio frequency sensor technology at military installations, test ranges and the U.S. border, where it will help detect, monitor and identify crewed and uncrewed aircraft.
The company’s product lineup — BREAKER, SURGE, BYOTx and AMS — relies on passive sensing, meaning the systems pick up radio frequency signals, including those from aircraft that emit no RF signals without emitting any energy of their own.
Hidden Level founder and CEO Jeff Cole said the award advances the company’s efforts to deliver technology that enables users to “see without being seen.” He said the award reflects years of performance in operational environments and the War Department’s commitment to deploying C-UAS capabilities for the warfighter.
The award comes about 18 months after Hidden Level raised $65 million in Series C funding to expand manufacturing capacity and support growing demand for its passive sensing technology.
Why Did Hidden Level Receive the Contract?
The Army Contracting Command at Rock Island issued the OTA on behalf of the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering, citing Hidden Level’s results from testing and evaluation exercises such as T-REX 25.2 and Falcon Peak 25.2. Hidden Level also earned recognition as a top performer in the Defense Innovation Unit’s Low-Cost Sensing Challenge. According to the company, the agreement gives military organizations a route toward rapid prototyping, adoption of new technologies and production of sensor systems at scale.
Hidden Level previously deployed AMS as part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Unmanned Aircraft Systems Detection and Mitigation Research Program, which evaluated technologies for detecting drone threats near airports.
