Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401), the Pentagon’s counter-drone task force, validated CACI International’s SkyValor counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) for operational use across the joint force. The validation followed a two-day evaluation at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, concluding on June 7, 2026.
During the event, the system successfully tracked and countered small UAS targets at varied ranges, elevations, and flight paths. The operational demonstration was executed in coordination with Joint Task Force-Southern Border and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to support domestic border defense.
“SkyValor is now validated for use as one component of a layered C-UAS defense across the entire Joint Force to meet operational needs anywhere warfighters need to defend themselves from drones,” Lt. Col. Adam Scher, JIATF-401 spokesperson, said in a statement to DefenseScoop.
SkyValor, previously marketed under the name Merlin, runs on a mobile trailer and can detect and defeat threats ranging from small first-person view drones to Group 5 platforms, the military’s largest UAS category, according to CACI.
The company states the system can jam targets from more than 40 miles away in some cases and deploy capture nets at nearly four miles, using automated sense and shoot algorithms that operate around the clock.
“Having an effective non-kinetic defeat option is a crucial component of strong, layered, counter-drone capabilities at the southern border,” said Jose Gonzalez, a CBP liaison officer embedded with JIATF-401.
The system’s trailer-mounted design places it among the fixed and movable capabilities Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command, referenced at SOF Week in May, when he said the border still lacks C-UAS systems that can follow patrolling troops.
#TeamCACI’s SkyValor C-UAS showcased long‑range detection, tracking, ID, and precision non‑kinetic defeat during a JIATF‑401 evaluation at @MCASYumaAZ. Advanced RF sensing and AI‑enabled EW deliver layered defense against threats. More: https://t.co/DzNObJza0Z #CounterUAS pic.twitter.com/sWwKhHLBUo
— CACI International Inc (@CACIIntl) June 10, 2026
It remains unclear whether the validation is tied to a broader contract. CACI acknowledged questions from DefenseScoop about the program but did not answer them before publication.
