# JIATF-401 Joint Interagency Task Force 401 — a [[Department of Defense]] organization charged with researching, testing, and procuring counter-unmanned-aerial-systems (counter-drone / C-UAS) technology. JIATF-401 has emerged as a fast-track procurement vehicle for AI-enabled counter-drone systems, awarding the $500M [[Perennial Autonomy $500M JIATF-401 Counter-Drone Contract]] in May 2026. ## Role JIATF-401 sits at the intersection of research, operational testing, and procurement for counter-drone capabilities — a capability area where the threat environment has accelerated faster than traditional acquisition timelines. The task force structure lets DOD bypass standard multi-year procurement cycles for counter-UAS, an urgency reflected in the size and speed of awards like the May 2026 Perennial contract. ## Significance to the KB Worth tracking as a discrete procurement node because the counter-drone budget pool is now substantial enough to matter as a category of defense-tech revenue. Companies competing for JIATF-401 awards include [[Anduril]], [[Shield AI]], and [[Perennial Autonomy]] — overlapping with the defense-tech ecosystem tracked on this site. ## See Also - [[Perennial Autonomy $500M JIATF-401 Counter-Drone Contract]] - [[Perennial Autonomy]] - [[Department of Defense]] - [[Anduril]]