CACI SkyValor Counter-Drone System

History

CACI SkyValor is a transportable counter-unmanned-aircraft system designed to detect, track, identify, and defeat hostile drones. It combines long-range sensing with automated processing and non-kinetic electronic-warfare effects.

The system is intended to protect military forces, borders, critical infrastructure, and other strategic locations. CACI states that SkyValor can engage small unmanned aircraft, including drones that use cellular communications.

SkyValor completed operational evaluations in 2026 and was approved for deployment by Joint Interagency Task Force 401. CACI subsequently announced full-rate production and the first deployment order under a three-year counter-UAS contract with a ceiling of $500 million.

In April 2026, CACI received a Commercial Solutions Opening contract to supply four SkyValor units to JIATF-401. These systems were to be integrated with heavy-duty trucks to provide a mobile counter-drone capability.

JIATF-401 later evaluated SkyValor at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in Arizona. The trials were conducted in coordination with Joint Task Force-Southern Border and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. They examined the system's ability to detect and defeat several types of small unmanned aircraft beyond the operator's direct line of sight.

On 13 July 2026, CACI announced a contract to deploy transportable SkyValor systems along the southern border of the United States. The company said that the systems would provide earlier warning, faster threat assessment, and non-kinetic defeat with limited collateral effects.

On 30 July 2026, CACI announced that SkyValor had been selected for the first task order under a three-year, $500 million indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract. The award supports JIATF-401's Domestic Shield initiative and permits the acquisition of SkyValor and other tactical counter-UAS systems. The contract ceiling represents the maximum potential value of the wider agreement rather than a confirmed purchase of $500 million in SkyValor equipment.

According to the CACI contract announcement, the initial task order covers deployment at critical mission locations. Neither CACI nor JIATF-401 disclosed the number of systems ordered under this task order or their delivery schedule.

Design

SkyValor is described as a transportable, trailer-based detect-and-defeat system. A separate configuration places the equipment on a heavy-duty truck for mobile operations. CACI has not published a complete description of the system's sensors, power requirements, crew, or deployment time.

The system uses radio-frequency sensing and automated processing to provide continuous surveillance, early warning, target tracking, and threat identification. Reporting on the system describes artificial-intelligence-assisted electronic-warfare functions and automated sense-and-engage algorithms.

SkyValor's principal defeat mechanism is non-kinetic electronic warfare, including radio-frequency jamming. These effects are intended to neutralize drones while reducing the danger posed by explosive or projectile-based interceptors near personnel and infrastructure. Published reporting has also associated the system with low-collateral defeat tools such as nets, although the available sources do not define their configuration.

CACI claims that SkyValor can provide detection and targeting at distances exceeding 64 km (40 miles) in some conditions. The company has not released the test conditions or a detailed breakdown of detection, tracking, identification, and defeat ranges. CACI states that this range can give operators several minutes to respond, rather than the seconds available with shorter-range sensors.

Program status

As of July 2026, SkyValor had completed JIATF-401 operational evaluations, received approval for deployment to critical sites, and entered full-rate production according to CACI. Planned deployments included the U.S. southern border and locations associated with the Domestic Shield initiative.

The system forms one layer of a broader counter-drone architecture. Military officials have emphasized that no single system can defeat every unmanned-aircraft threat, requiring combinations of sensors and kinetic or non-kinetic effectors.

Variants and related systems

• SkyValor transportable system: Trailer-based configuration intended for rapid deployment and protection of fixed or temporary sites.
• SkyValor truck-mounted variant: Mobile configuration integrated with a heavy-duty truck. Four units were ordered under the April 2026 Commercial Solutions Opening contract.
• CORIAN v3: A related CACI fixed-site counter-UAS system with radio-frequency jamming capabilities referenced under the wider JIATF-401 contract.
• BEAM: A smaller backpack-portable CACI counter-UAS system referenced alongside the company's other tactical offerings. It is not identified as a SkyValor variant.

Specifications (SkyValor transportable system)

General characteristics

• Manufacturer: CACI International
• Type: Transportable counter-unmanned-aircraft detect-and-defeat system
• Deployment configuration: Trailer-based; separate heavy-duty truck configuration
• Operating mode: Continuous automated sensing and threat processing

Sensors and processing

• Primary sensing: Radio-frequency detection
• Functions: Detection, tracking, identification, early warning, and targeting
• Reported coverage: More than 64 km (40 miles) for detection or targeting in some conditions, according to CACI
• Supported threats: Small unmanned aircraft and other drone classes, including cellular-enabled drones

Defeat capabilities

• Primary effect: Non-kinetic electronic warfare and radio-frequency jamming
• Engagement control: Automated sense-and-engage algorithms
• Additional reported effectors: Low-collateral tools including nets