JIATF‑401 is a Department of Defense task force stood up in 2025 to accelerate development, acquisition and fielding of counter‑small UAS (C‑sUAS) capabilities across the military; it leads, synchronizes and acquires C‑sUAS technology, engages industry and provides operational guidance and training for homeland and expeditionary defense against illicit drones.
The Bumblebee V2 is being supplied under a $5.2M agreement by Perennial Autonomy; JIATF‑401 awarded the contract to Perennial Autonomy to provide the Bumblebee V2 kinetic interceptor.
A kinetic interceptor physically destroys or disables a hostile UAS (e.g., drone‑on‑drone collision or projectile) using mass/force, whereas non‑kinetic options use electronic, electromagnetic or cyber effects (jamming, spoofing, EW, GPS denial, or cyber hacks) to disrupt control, navigation or sensor functions without physical impact; each approach has different mission tradeoffs (destruction vs. disruption, collateral risk, legal/spectrum issues).
Initial deployment/assessment will begin with deliveries in March 2026 for an operational assessment by the U.S. Army’s Global Response Force in support of the Lieutenant General Gavin Joint Innovation Outpost; training/familiarization has occurred at Grafenwoehr (Europe) and units in U.S. Army Europe/Africa have trained on Bumblebee systems—specific long‑term unit basing beyond the assessment was not disclosed.
"Low‑collateral" operationally means the system is intended to neutralize threats with limited damage to surrounding infrastructure, personnel and bystanders (for Bumblebee V2 via precise drone‑on‑drone interception). However, kinetic interceptors still risk debris, loss of the interceptor and unintended damage or injury—risk increases in populated areas and against larger/armored UAS; mitigation requires rules of engagement, standoff distances, hardening and restriction zones.
The publicly announced agreement value is $5.2 million and was awarded Jan. 30, 2026 with deliveries slated to begin in March 2026; the Army statement did not disclose exact unit quantities, detailed delivery schedule beyond "begin in March," or long‑term sustainment terms.