The awards to Anduril, Booz Allen, GDIT and others come as the agency grapples with lagging counter-UAS skills.

The bureau is expecting to train 250 more UAS mitigation officers by the end of next fiscal year. But stakeholders say that may not be enough.

A top official said the agency's goal is to avoid rushing a rule that could favor incumbents or introduce tech lock-in.

While the city is unique in some ways, the collaboration between DHS, FBI and local police departments is a microcosm of what happened elsewhere.

The DHS inspector general office said an inexperienced counter-UAS operator and delayed technical support led to a missed opportunity to prevent the July 2024 incident.

The agency is looking for ways to partner with the Department of Justice unit as UAS threats multiply, Secretary Markwayne Mullin told lawmakers during a hearing.

During a hearing this week, airport stakeholders pushed for the adoption of tools that would bring improved safety and counter-UAS capabilities.

As hurricane season begins, the weather agency is seeing promise in drones and other emerging plane-deployed technologies.

Federal agencies and private-sector companies have been tight-lipped on details about counter-UAS protections due to the sensitivity of operations.

The Department of Justice unit wants around a dozen drones delivered by the beginning of August, per procurement documents published Tuesday.