Colombia Counter-Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Opportunities

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been employed in narcotics and other illegal activities across Colombia. Guerrilla groups and other nefarious actors are reported to be making drones to support their operations. The Colombian Ministry of Defense has denounced the use of drones by these organizations that violate Colombia´s national sovereignty. They have also prioritized countering the threat of UAVs flying over government institutions such as the headquarters of the Colombian Armed Forces. 

To address this security concern, the Colombian Ministry of Defense has considered allocating USD 2 million for procurements of Counter-Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-sUAS) that have time and location detection, track the journey, block video recording and, restrict entrance to denied areas. The Ministry has announced the following requirements for its procurement of C-sUAS: non-interference systems with the capability to detect nearby drones including homemade drones. The system should also be passive and not kinetic in its attack, water resistant, interoperable with local laptops and tablets, and encrypted.

The U.S. Commercial Service encourages U.S. manufacturers with this technology to reach out to the Defense and Security Sector Lead Lina Contreras to pursue C-sUAS opportunities in Colombia.