San Diego Defense Firm Helps U.S. Military Identify Drone Threats Overseas

Digital Force Technologies partners with the U.S. military to detect and mitigate the growing threat of low-cost drones in modern warfare.

Mar. 13, 2026 at 12:51am

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Digital Force Technologies, a San Diego-based defense contractor, has been working with the U.S. military for over 25 years to develop technology that can identify and address the growing threat of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drones, in modern warfare. The company's CEO, Justin MacLaurin, says drones have fundamentally changed warfare, with smaller and cheaper systems becoming more common and posing a challenge to counter with expensive missile systems. DFT's technology is being used by the U.S. military overseas to detect and track these drone threats, though the specific deployment locations cannot be disclosed.

Why it matters

The rise of inexpensive drones has reshaped modern warfare, with adversaries able to deploy swarms of low-cost systems that can overwhelm and deplete the resources of more technologically advanced militaries. Companies like Digital Force Technologies are playing a critical role in helping the U.S. military adapt to this new threat landscape and develop effective countermeasures.

The details

Digital Force Technologies, based in San Diego's Sorrento Valley, has been working exclusively with the U.S. federal government for over 25 years. The company develops technology designed to identify and address unmanned aircraft systems, including small first-person view (FPV) drones that are relatively inexpensive compared to the cost of countering them with more advanced missile systems. DFT's CEO, Justin MacLaurin, says the company's technology is being used by the U.S. military overseas, though specific deployment locations cannot be disclosed. MacLaurin notes that the military is also working on programs to recreate low-cost drones in order to reduce reliance on more expensive systems when responding to cheaper threats.

  • Digital Force Technologies has been in operation for more than 25 years.
  • The company's technology is currently being used by the U.S. military overseas.

The players

Digital Force Technologies

A San Diego-based defense contractor that partners with the U.S. military to develop technology for detecting and mitigating drone threats.

Justin MacLaurin

The CEO of Digital Force Technologies.

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What they’re saying

“Drones have changed warfare. It definitely is a very low-cost option with a large impact, and so you can't put the cat in the bag. You can't un-ring the bell. These things are here to stay, so now it's really how do we mitigate those?”

— Justin MacLaurin, CEO, Digital Force Technologies (nbcsandiego.com)

“You're starting to take a $1,000 drone, and, to knock it out of the air, the U.S. would use a Patriot missile, which is $3-4 million, so, $3-4 million versus $500 to a $1,000 — that is in the benefit for the adversary. They can swarm us with hundreds, if not thousands, of those, and deplete or saturate our resources to counter them.”

— Justin MacLaurin, CEO, Digital Force Technologies (nbcsandiego.com)

What’s next

The U.S. military is currently working on several programs to recreate low-cost drones in order to reduce reliance on more expensive systems when responding to cheaper threats.

The takeaway

The rise of inexpensive drones has fundamentally changed modern warfare, posing new challenges for advanced militaries like the U.S. to effectively counter. Companies like Digital Force Technologies are playing a critical role in helping the military adapt to this evolving threat landscape and develop innovative solutions to detect, track, and mitigate the growing drone threat.