ABSI Aerospace & Defense Publicly Introduces Its Aerial Targets Division, Established in 2023 and Now Rapidly Expanding to Meet DoD Demand

California, MD —  ABSI Aerospace & Defense today formally introduced its Aerial Targets Division (ATD) to the public, highlighting the division’s rapid growth and the significant expansion of its capabilities since its internal establishment in 2023. After two years of continuous development, operational refinement, and direct support to major test and training events, ABSI is elevating ATD as a core strategic business unit to meet accelerating Department of Defense and allied demand for realistic, affordable, U.S.-manufactured aerial targets.

While ATD has been operating internally for several years—quietly supporting live-range operations, CUAS exercises, and weapons development programs—today’s announcement marks the division’s first public rollout. This step reflects both the maturity of its target systems and the growing national need for U.S.-designed aerial targets capable of replicating the unmanned threats seen in modern conflicts.

“ATD was officially stood up inside ABSI in 2023, and since then it has grown into one of our most important mission areas,” said Chris Sacco, Chief Executive Officer of ABSI Aerospace & Defense. “We’re now introducing the division publicly because its capabilities have matured, its customer base has expanded, and the demand for high-tempo, realistic threat replication continues to rise across the DoD community.”

A Division Designed Around Real-World Threats

Across its target portfolio, ATD provides multiple Group 1–3 aerial systems, each designed to emulate the flight behaviors, signatures, and operational characteristics of unmanned platforms used by near-peer adversaries and non-state actors abroad. Every ATD platform is:

• Designed and manufactured in the United States
• Built with NDAA-compliant components
• Modular and configurable for diverse test objectives
• Optimized for affordability, enabling large-scale or repetitive training
• Backed by veteran operator support teams with deep SOF and T&E experience

Rather than emphasizing product names, the division focuses on its core purpose: providing a flexible, realistic, and cost-effective way to replicate modern unmanned threats for weapons testing, CUAS development, and operational training.

Operational Experience at the Core

ATD’s success is driven by ABSI’s veteran-led workforce—former test pilots, SOF operators, CUAS SMEs, and field service teams who have firsthand experience countering unmanned threats in operational environments.

These teams support customers with:

• Target operations and flight execution
• On-range safety and airworthiness oversight
• Threat-representative scenario design
• Data capture and after-action insights
• Rapid target reconfiguration during test events

“Our team lives and breathes operational realism,” said Jay “Chewy” Frey, U.S. Marine Corps veteran and ABSI’s Vice President for CxISRT. “When we put these systems in the air, they reflect what warfighters and test units are seeing in real conflicts—the speed, the behavior, the signatures, everything. That’s what makes ATD so valuable to the community we support.”

A Response to a Changing Global Threat Environment

Modern conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, and other regions have revealed the decisive impact of small unmanned systems on the battlefield. ATD was created to give DoD and allied partners a way to replicate these threats affordably and at scale.

As national initiatives accelerate U.S. drone production, autonomy, and attritable system development, ATD provides a mature, U.S.-based foundation capable of contributing to future supply-chain needs.

The Next Phase of ATD Growth Starts Now

By formally announcing ATD today, ABSI is signaling the division’s evolution from an internal capability to a flagship offering that supports:

• DoD program offices
• Prime contractors and integrators
• State and federal homeland security agencies
• International allied partners
• Critical infrastructure security and emergency management organizations

ATD will continue to expand its portfolio, increase manufacturing capacity, and deliver realistic threat replication for both test and training missions.

About ABSI Aerospace & Defense

ABSI Aerospace & Defense is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) headquartered in Maryland. The company supports test and evaluation, robotics and autonomous systems integration, UAS/CUAS training, flight operations, and U.S.-manufactured aerial target systems. ABSI serves DoD program offices, federal agencies, major prime contractors, and allied defense organizations around the world.

Learn more at www.absidefense.com or contact info@absidefense.com.