Zone 5 Technologies LLC
"create the future"
San Luis Obispo maker of the AGM-188 Rusty Dagger low-cost missile, White Spike interceptor and Paladin Blue UAS interceptor drone; 90% owned by Kongsberg.
Zone 5 Technologies LLC is an aerospace engineering and production company in San Luis Obispo, California. It develops low-cost air-launched munitions, counter-UAS interceptors and unmanned aircraft for the U.S. government. Founded in 2011 and led by chairman, CEO and CTO Thomas Akers, it describes itself as vertically integrated and has about 250 employees. Its roots are in unmanned aircraft and flight control systems. Over roughly ten years it built an Integrated Modular Avionics toolset into a Modular Open System Architecture (MOSA) based on published standards and model-based design. The company now uses that common avionics architecture across all of its products. Job postings also list sites in Paso Robles, CA, Fort Worth, TX, Fort Walton Beach, FL and Arlington, VA.
Its best-known product is the AGM-188 Rusty Dagger. This low-cost, precision-guided, air-launched standoff weapon sits between a cruise missile and a guided bomb. It was developed for the U.S. Air Force Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM) program, which began in 2024 with contracts to two vendors. Zone 5's design first flew about four months after award. Published figures describe a 500 lb-class weapon, about 230 kg, with a range of up to about 450 km. The Air Force chose it for its Family of Affordable Mass Missiles (FAMM) effort, with first deliveries planned for late 2026. ERAM is the export version, and The U.S. has cleared Ukraine to buy up to 3,350 ERAM weapons.
For counter-drone defense, Zone 5 makes two interceptor lines. White Spike is an open interceptor platform that combines a modular missile, a launcher and an open command-and-control system. It comes in air-launched and surface-launched versions. It is designed to defeat uncrewed aircraft and to strike air and ground targets, and it can be fired from existing Hellfire launchers. In 2025 the Defense Innovation Unit chose Zone 5 and Anduril for its Counter NEXT program to field low-cost drone kill systems.
Paladin is the company's uncrewed aircraft. It is a Group 2 hexacopter that Zone 5 calls a Low Collateral Effects Interceptor and a fully autonomous, TAK-integrated wingman. Its quick-swap payloads include a counter-UAS interceptor kit, a munitions dropper, a 7.62/.308 rifle mount, and a loudspeaker with spotlight. Paladin carries an Echodyne EchoFlight MESA radar on its nose and works with ground-based Echodyne EchoShield radars for cueing. It was among the winners of the January 2025 Blue UAS refresh and is on the DIU Blue UAS list, which confirms NDAA compliance and an authority to operate for DoD users.
Zone 5 says it has supported flight testing on several continents, including air drops of vehicles from crewed aircraft on government test ranges. It also works with the Air Force Research Laboratory, other U.S. armed services and the Defense Innovation Unit.
In December 2025 Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, part of Kongsberg Gruppen ASA, agreed to buy 90 percent of Zone 5. Kongsberg said Zone 5 had more than USD 100 million of revenue in 2025 and had been profitable for many years. The deal closed in June 2026 after U.S. regulatory approval. Zone 5 runs as a separate subsidiary, and Akers and his management team keep minority stakes.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
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Contact Zone 5 Technologies LLC
WEBSITE
https://www.zone5tech.comHEADQUARTERS
United States
Company Facts
Founded
2011
Primary Role
Manufacturer
Company Size
-
Primary Region
North America
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
Subsidiary / Acquired
Funding Total
-
