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Perennial Autonomy

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Perennial Autonomy

U.S. counter-drone manufacturer founded by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt; primary contractor to jiatf-401 for low-cost interceptor and short-range C-UAS effectors.

Corporate history

Per src-dronexl-perennial-interceptor-doctrine-2026-05, the company launched quietly as White Stork in 2023 — after 2022 meetings with Ukrainian officials to build the Merops interceptor for Ukrainian crews — was renamed Project Eagle in February 2024, then Perennial Autonomy in 2026. It recruited former Pentagon innovation chief Will Roper plus Apple and SpaceX engineers. Merops saw heavy combat use in Ukraine (4,000+ intercepts since mid-2024) before any U.S. order. European Merops co-production runs through Munich-based twentyfour-industries (Lithuania bought 48 units in April 2026; Poland/Romania on NATO’s eastern flank). Product portfolio (per src-perennial-autonomy-jiatf-401-500m-2026-05) spans three lines already fielded within centcom AOR:

  • Merops — kinetic interceptor used against Shahed-class one-way-attack UAS.
  • Bumblebee V1 / V2 — V1 kinetic effector and V2 FPV multi-rotor interceptor for follow-home / air-to-air defeat CONOPS.
  • Hornet — midrange strike drone.

All Perennial systems combine computer vision, RF sensing, and secure communications, with humans retained on lethal-force decisions.

JIATF-401 contract history

  • Feb 2026 — $5.2M Bumblebee V2 agreement for operational counter-drone evaluations with rapidly deployable forces.
  • May 19 2026 — Potential $500M three-year IDIQ for enterprise C-UAS support across the joint force; covers Merops, Bumblebee V1/V2, and Hornet; framed by department-of-war as a procurement accelerator for the jiatf-401-marketplace.

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