The modern battlefield presents a host of new threats that impose unprecedented demands on the systems and military forces deployed to defend and protect. Conflicts in regions like Ukraine and the Middle East have demonstrated the new reality—a tsunami of inexpensive yet lethal unmanned aerial systems (UAS), including drones and missiles, flooding the battlespace with devastating effects. Pentagon officials have described the adversarial use of small offensive drones as the “problem of our time,” expressing the willingness to increase spending “through the roof” to develop innovative solutions that effectively counter these emergent threats.
Traditional defense systems, relying heavily on active radar technology, are struggling to keep pace. Active radars emit energy pulses to detect objects, but their emissions make them visible to adversaries. Sophisticated opponents can jam these signals or even track and target the radars directly, rendering them less effective in modern conflicts. These systems are expensive and have long manufacturing lead times, making rapid deployment challenging.
Enter Hidden Level—a company purpose-built to redefine airspace surveillance and monitoring with its advanced passive sensing technology.
We are proud to partner with Hidden Level, leading their $65 million Series C financing to help them tackle one of the most pressing defense challenges of our time with their unique counter-UAS technology.
Behind this innovative company is a team of experienced sensor experts led by Jeff Cole, founder and CEO. When we met Jeff more than two years ago, he correctly identified the drone threat emerging in the Ukraine conflict as a much broader risk our US military would need to address. Jeff knew this was the moment he had prepared for, anticipating this sea change and putting Hidden Level on a path to make the airspace safe again. Hidden Level joins DFJ Growth’s existing portfolio of companies – including Anduril, SpaceX, and Vannevar Labs – to bring advanced defense capabilities to the US and our allies.
Hidden Level's passive sensing technology leverages ambient radiofrequency radiation in the environment to detect and track airborne threats without emitting any signals themselves. This means they can monitor airspace covertly, making it exceedingly difficult for adversaries to detect or disable their systems. It's a game changer in a field where stealth and reliability are paramount. Hidden Level has developed a portfolio of multimodal sensor products that excel in cost, performance, form factor, and spectral breadth. These products deliver a cost-effective and adaptable solution for a wide array of battlefield scenarios that legacy surveillance systems cannot support, providing critical information to track and respond to inbound threats while prioritizing the safety of our US forces in the field.
Their innovative approach hasn't gone unnoticed. Hidden Level is trusted by US defense forces to spot threats early, provide intelligence that integrates with unified command and control systems, and perform reliably in the most demanding environments. The company’s sensors are deployed to passively sense drones and other airborne threats, where this critical information is used to cue countermeasures across a range of rugged operating environments. Hidden Level counts several defense and civil agencies as customers for airspace monitoring and forward-deployed use cases.
We are committed to Hidden Level’s vital mission and honored to be part of their growing team.
