Defense Tech Spotlight: Allen Control Systems
Episode 11
What is Allen Control Systems (ACS)?
Allen Control Systems (ACS) is a robotics defense company specializing in advanced robotics solutions for the defense industry. Our flagship product is an autonomous weapon station that turns existing military machine guns into precision systems capable of defeating the most advanced drone threats - we call it Bullfrog. The Bullfrog represents a significant enhancement over current analogue remote weapon stations, which are typically operated via joystick. By transforming these into fully autonomous systems, we provide unparalleled precision, allowing them to precisely engage any target. This innovation significantly increases the accuracy of existing battlefield weapons, bringing them up to the standards of modern warfare ensuring warfighters are protected against the advanced drone threat.
As the sole autonomous kinetic defeat solution available on the market, Bullfrog has delivered on its promise to demonstrate a low-cost, low Size Weight and Power (SWaP), autonomous system and caught the attention of the U.S. and its allies.
Over the past two months, we successfully completed numerous demonstrations of Bullfrog, including several successful multi-drone engagements at distance during the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Technology Readiness Experimentation 2024 (TREX 24-2) and in Austin, TX for over 40 DoD and international counter drone stakeholders responsible for developing and procuring counter drone technologies for the U.S. warfighter and their respective governments
Can you tell me more about your startup, and the problem that you're addressing?
For the first time in our lifetime, the enemy has a weapon, and we have no real answer. We are in uncharted territory. We used to have big, expensive, exquisite systems that dominated our opponents on the battlefield.
Drones are the new weapons of war. China produces 90% of the world’s drones and is far ahead of the U.S. in production capability. Their streamlined defense technology development, coupled with ample production capacity for conventional and advanced weaponry, creates a formidable combination.
After we sold our last company, Putin invaded Ukraine. As we analyzed the conflict, one thing became clear: drone warfare, particularly involving low-flying FPV drones, was playing a significant role. These drones fly close to the ground, launch near their targets, and travel short distances—often less than half a kilometer—before hitting high-value targets. We noticed that Ukrainian forces were often defending against these drones by firing rifles into the air. Sometimes the bullets hit their mark, but often they did not. This made us realize that robotics could offer a more reliable solution. The core idea behind our product line is to address this problem efficiently with precision robotics. Traditional defense solutions, like expensive missiles, are often overkill for these low-cost, low-flying drones. It’s not just excessive in terms of firepower—it's economically impractical and unsustainable. We believe that our approach with precision robotics provides a more elegant and cost-effective way to neutralize these threats.
I remember reading an article, after the Houthis launched the missile and drone attacks in the Red Sea that said the U.S. spent millions of dollars on the missiles that shot down $50,000 worth of drones.
As a wealthy nation, we can afford to use expensive solutions for a while, but in the long term, it's not sustainable. We believe our approach offers a much better solution for these types of challenges. It’s interesting when you look at the evolution of counter-drone technology—we started with jammers, then experimented with lasers and microwaves. But in reality, bullets, one of the oldest and most reliable tools of war, remain highly effective. Our innovation is about upgrading the ability to use these cost-effective bullets with precision to take down drones efficiently.
Can you walk me through your startup journey of how ACS came into existence?
The company is called Allen Control Systems, named after our co-founder and CTO, Luke Allen, who’s the genius behind our autonomous weapon station technology. Luke and I met in the Navy, and after leaving the service, we’ve spent the better part of a decade building startups together. We’d been kicking around the idea of starting a defense company even before our last venture. With the conflicts happening around the world and the advancements in robotics, it felt like the perfect time to dive in. The technology shift in robotics combined with the evolving nature of warfare created the right moment for us to launch ACS. It’s almost like the advent of the machine gun in World War II—drone technology has completely changed the way wars are fought. That’s why we’re working so hard to get our product out there. We really believe it has the potential to change the course of warfare.
Our mission is to create autonomous precision weapon systems to safeguard our military and allies, ensuring dominance on every battlefield. We have strong momentum towards this. We continue to add some of the most respected and accomplished leaders to the team. As one example, we recently appointed Brice Cooper, former head of U.S. Special Operations Command's counter drone and counterproliferation programs, Department of Defense acquisition expert, and 25-year Army and special operations veteran, as the company’s Chief Strategy Officer.
Let’s talk about the technology behind ACS that makes this possible.
We are operating at the intersection of multiple disciplines—robotics, computer vision, machine learning, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and computer science.
The ACS team is comprised of world-class experts in robotics, computer vision, machine learning, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science. When this deep technical expertise is paired with hands-on defense and military expertise, including co-founders who are both Navy veterans and former nuclear sub engineers, and a vertically-integrated, nimble approach, it results in a team that can move swiftly and effectively to develop new solutions to address immediate battlefield needs.
Our initial product offering is based on the M240 machine gun. The system works by connecting the gun to our custom-built autonomous weapon station, which includes our proprietary hardware—such as a custom motor controller and motherboard—along with our own software. The system handles the entire "kill chain", from detection to target elimination. It first detects, identifies, tracks, and then neutralizes enemy drones. The detection is powered by computer vision, utilizing a sky search camera that scans 360 degrees every five seconds. Once a potential threat is identified, the operator can confirm whether it is indeed a threat. If confirmed, the system transfers control to the gun camera, which locks in on the target. The system then calculates the ballistics and engages the target.
Essentially, the operator only needs to press a button, and the weapon station handles everything from there.
Did ACS develop a new detection capability for the Search Camera, or are you relying on pre-existing technology?
SearchCam is our own development, purpose-built for precision robotics applications. While we can integrate other sensors as well—all we really need is bearing and elevation data to pass to the gun camera—we've built our own to maximize performance. Additionally, we use Unreal Engine to generate synthetic training data. By simulating threats in Unreal, we can train our convolutional neural networks. We run several neural networks on the search camera: one for classification, which is standard, and others to predict movement, speed, and other factors.
As for intercepting mortars and rockets—that’s absolutely on our roadmap. Those move faster than some of the FPV drones we’re currently targeting, but it’s within our sights. Right now, we can hit a small drone, like a DJI Mini (about the size of a hand), from about two football fields away. That’s quite a distance for such a small target, so we’re confident we’ll be able to handle other threats, like loitering munitions, as we continue to refine the system.
Is the range constraint there the maximum range the SearchCam is able to detect a drone?
There are no limiting constraints for us. The capability ranges of Bullfrog and the SearchCam exceed the maximum effective range of the weapons DoD is asking us to integrate today. We are already in discussions with DoD and Industry partners about integration of larger weapons in the future so that we can identify the hardware and software increments needed to ensure Bullfrog and SearchCam continue to match or exceed the performance of the weapon it is targeting.
Why did you choose to build your platform around the M240B? Was that because it’s a readily available weapon system already in the DoD inventory?
What we wanted to do was show just how effective precision robotics can be by turning the M240 into something closer to a sniper rifle. And that’s essentially what we’ve done. This was our way of demonstrating the potential of precision robotics in the defense industry.
We purposely picked a gun that isn’t known for its accuracy to prove that our system could make it into a deadly, precise weapon. We’ve effectively turned the M240 into a sniper-like platform, and we’re really proud of that.
Is the plan to put it on vehicles and make this a moving platform? Or stationary?
Yes, it’s already integrated into a vehicle and DoD has identified several platform candidates for a mobile capability with the ability to engage while on the move shortly after initial integration. Integrating Bullfrog into larger static defense in-depth counter drone systems or fixed sites like critical infrastructure is something we can do today. We plan to release by the end of the year a Bullfrog with the M2 .50 caliber machine gun that has been used for decades to provide protection for ships and ground combat vehicles against a range of larger air, ground, and maritime threats.
I would assume that being on a moving platform adds a layer of complexity.
Yes, it has historically been complex that’s why no one has done it but it’s not a big leap for us. That feature is called "On the Move," which is crucial for military operations.
I’ve seen drone footage out of Ukraine that shows drones destroying helicopters in flight. Are you considering mounting this on other platforms, like helicopters, to protect them from drones?
The vision for our company is to have autonomous guns deployed in every theater of operation.
Do you have to build a custom drone platform for that, or is there something already available that you’ll use?
Everything has to be designed with the rifle in mind, so it’s essentially an all-in-one system. Currently, there isn't a drone that can accommodate a rifle in the way we're envisioning. We've explored potential partnerships, but many companies aren't considering the idea of mounting a rifle on a small fixed-wing aircraft, which means we’d need to rebuild the platform anyway.
Our concept is somewhat akin to a miniature version of the A-10, designed to be very small and lightweight—ideally around $5,000 in total cost. When it fires, the recoil can affect the flight pattern, but we've developed control systems that will allow us to manage that impact effectively.
What does the interface for something like that look like?
We are actively integrating with industry partners, including some of the larger players in the field. They have established common User Interfaces (UIs) for soldiers, and we're currently in discussions with teams that work on Command and Control (C2) systems to facilitate integration with our product. While we have our own interface for demonstrations, our goal is to ensure that the Army doesn’t have to learn an entirely new one.
The advantage of our system is its high level of autonomy. Ideally, users will only need a target selection screen to choose what they want to eliminate, which simplifies the operation to just a few buttons. Integration is crucial, and that’s why we’ve assembled a dedicated software engineering team to handle this essential part of the process.
Who are some of the competitors in this space?
There are no competitors in the autonomous weapon station space. There are a number of defense companies that have legacy, remote weapon stations, but none that currently offer the autonomy and precision we do. There are some promising startups exploring other counter drone solutions using interceptors, directed energy, and electronic warfare, but there isn't much competition right now in terms of successfully engaging drones with bullets at the precision we are.
It's important to note that all of us—startups and established primes alike—are vying for the same counter-drone budget. The overall defense budget is substantial, roughly $280 billion annually, and a portion of that is allocated specifically for counter-drone initiatives. As a result, we’re all competing for attention and funding within that budget, which includes various technologies like jammers, microwave systems, lasers, and guns.
Looking further into the future, I believe we will face minimal competition as the battlefield evolves into a contest between autonomous guns. In that scenario, the focus will shift from countering drones to who has the most advanced autonomous systems capable of engaging each other. It's a fascinating development in the landscape of warfare.
Is the Department of Defense your only customer?
We cannot talk about our discussions in the U.S. and with our allies overseas. However, I can say this: every nation will eventually have the need to replace traditional firearms with autonomous systems. This represents a wide-open market for us.
I'm also very curious about what the Department of Energy and some internal government organizations think, as far as hardening critical infrastructure with ACS?
I think there’s potential for our systems to be used in protecting assets like lithium mines, especially in less contested areas, such as certain regions in Africa. However, I’m not sure we would deploy an autonomous weapon station in the U.S. to defend a nuclear site.
What are some of the biggest opportunities that you see coming in the future and how are you positioning ACS to be able to take advantage of those?
There are numerous government programs currently focused on next-generation combat vehicles, including various autonomous vehicle initiatives. While some of these programs initially considered integrating CROWS systems, they have become aware of our capabilities and are now looking at us as a potential platform for these vehicles. We are positioning ourselves strategically to become the autonomous gun solution for many of these programs, and we're engaged in deep conversations with various vehicle manufacturers. This presents a short-term opportunity for us to capture a significant share of the market. However, looking further ahead, our vision is to enhance these guns to achieve superhuman accuracy. I believe our technology will extend beyond vehicle-mounted applications to effectively target ground threats as well.
As the military becomes more accustomed to the significant advantages of autonomous weapon station capabilities, I envision a future where our systems replace traditional firearms across the battlefield.
Is your goal to replace all weapon systems?
Our target market is the entire gun market. For example, we are developing multiple versions of our autonomous weapon systems: the Mini Bullfrog, which is portable and can be carried by personnel; a larger 50 Cal version; and a 30mm chain gun version, which is designed to replace cannons on ships and tanks. Essentially, we aim to cover all the guns deployed across various platforms.
What has been the most challenging aspect of getting started and building ACS?
The defense industry is very capital-intensive, and we’ve been fortunate to secure funding through the sale of our previous company to DoorDash, as well as leveraging our connections to raise capital from several world-class investors. This allows us to be a defense products company building the capabilities the US and its partners need as compared to traditional defense contractors that wait for government investment which in the end cost taxpayers more and delivers capability to the warfighter slower.
The challenge with this approach for some companies is access to the customer, the warfighter, which can lead to a misunderstanding of product/market fit. We fortunately don’t suffer from this problem and already have deep relationships in DoD and a number of U.S. international partners. Our thesis was supported by the number of DoD, international, and defense industry counter drone stakeholders and senior leaders that took time out of their jam-packed schedules to travel and invest an entire day with us in Austin recently - an unheard of position to be in as a startup.
As for running a tech company, that aspect hasn't been as hard for us since we have prior experience. We know how to hire, market, and effectively bring our product to market. We are on the right track and we have strong momentum.
Thanks for reading!