US Honeywell Demos SAMURAI Counter UAS Integrating Existing Gear Defeating Swarms.

Honeywell says it successfully demonstrated its SAMURAI counter-UAS to U.S. military operators, running from a ground vehicle and via an aerostat above 1,000 feet. The modular system aims to let units detect, track and defeat drone swarms with components that plug into existing gear.

On September 22, 2025, Honeywell reported that it successfully demonstrated its Stationary and Mobile UAS Reveal and Intercept system to local U.S. military operators, showing the kit running directly from a ground vehicle and trialing key elements on an aerostat above 1,000 feet. The announcement, which quotes Matt Milas, president of Defense and Space at Honeywell Aerospace Technologies, frames the aim plainly enough: detect, track and counter drone swarms in a way that can be used by troops and security personnel without layers of specialist training. The SAMURAI label covers a modular counter-UAS architecture that links radio frequency detection, optical tracking and identification tools with effectors that can include offensive drones.
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Honeywell is positioning SAMURAI as a turnkey framework that accepts customer-selected detectors and effectors, then binds them through a common command and control layer. (Picture source: Honeywell)

The technical core deserves a closer look. Honeywell is positioning SAMURAI as a turnkey framework that accepts customer selected detectors and effectors, then binds them through a common command and control layer. Model Based Systems Engineering allows the team to model interfaces and behaviors before hardware shows up, reducing the time spent on bespoke wiring and software glue. MOSA compliance is the second leg of that stool. With open interfaces and documented standards, a unit can change a sensor class or add a new interceptor without tearing down the whole stack. That is the theory. The demonstrations give a hint of the practice, especially the aerostat segment. Lifting sensors above 1,000 feet extends line of sight, improves early detection and buys time to classify tracks before they cross inner defenses. Running the same logic from a vehicle shows the concept does not require a fixed site. The operator can roll with a convoy, set up a temporary perimeter or shadow a high value asset on the move.

Honeywell lists a cast of partners whose components feed the system. BlueHalo, Leonardo DRS, Pierce Aerospace, Silent Sentinel, Walaris, Rocky Research and Versatol appear in the release. The mix suggests how the layers fit together. RF nodes watch the spectrum for control links or emissions. Electro optical and infrared sensors take the handoff to track and identify. Where policy allows, effectors range from electronic options to kinetic interceptors and offensive drones sized for small UAS. The point is not that one sensor can do it all. It is that the backbone fuses the inputs into a single operator view, with track files passed across layers instead of leaving crews to hop between consoles. Honeywell also stresses sustainment. A single point of contact for updates and maintenance across the integrated components reduces the sprawl of support contracts and version control headaches that many units have accumulated after rapid C-UAS buys.

There are operational reasons why this configuration is attractive. Swarms compress timelines. Dozens of small drones arriving together force short range engagements if the defender sees them late. Aerostat lifted sensors push the detection horizon outward. Vehicle mounted kits keep coverage during movement, which has often been the weak spot for base centric counter-UAS stacks. The workflow is mostly familiar to units that already field RF detectors and day night cameras. The difference is in the speed of cueing and the clarity of the fused picture. When a swarm is detected, non kinetic techniques may be tried first where rules permit. If the threat persists or uses autonomy to ride through RF effects, the system can pivot to interceptors. None of this removes the need for trained crews. It does aim to simplify the steps from first detection to a decision on what to fire and when, which is where seconds matter.

Cost and integration also sit under the headline. The release emphasizes that operators can optimize prior investments by integrating existing components into the SAMURAI framework rather than buying an entirely new stack. For cash strapped units, that argument carries weight. Training time is another lever. If multiple sensors and effectors can be worked from a common display and common procedures, crews can be qualified faster and sustain currency with less overhead. The open architecture angle is not just a buzzword. It becomes real when a customer wishes to add a national sensor or swap to a different effector for policy reasons. If the interfaces are clear, those changes can be scheduled and tested without starting over.

The wider backdrop explains why this is happening now. Small UAS are cheaper, more numerous and more capable than they were a few years ago. Adversaries combine autonomy with low signature profiles, and they learn from each other quickly. Western forces have spent the past seasons upgrading short range air defense and improvising counter-UAS layers around fixed sites, logistics hubs and mobile command posts. They are trying to avoid a patchwork of gear that is hard to keep current. Rapid demonstration channels in the United States, often run through innovation programs, have become a way to get commercial technology into military hands at a tempo closer to the threat. The pitch here fits that pattern. A system that can ride on a truck one week and tie into an aerostat the next is easier to trial, adapt and scale than a rigid monolith.

Export dynamics come into play as well. Partners and allies want options that do not lock them into a single vendor stack, especially when they already have national sensors they trust. If SAMURAI’s integration promise holds under field conditions, it would let those customers connect domestic detectors to foreign effectors, keep local control over updates, and still present operators with a single picture. That is a practical pathway to raise the bar against swarms without discarding what they bought in recent years. Honeywell’s note that additional demonstrations are available to local and international operators suggests the company sees the same demand across markets, not only in the U.S. test community.

Written By Erwan Halna du Fretay - Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Erwan Halna du Fretay is a graduate of a Master’s degree in International Relations and has experience in the study of conflicts and global arms transfers. His research interests lie in security and strategic studies, particularly the dynamics of the defense industry, the evolution of military technologies, and the strategic transformation of armed forces, with a strong focus on multilateral cooperation and geopolitics.