KIRKLAND, Wash. — Echodyne in Kirkland, WA has introduced an Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK) plugin for its MESA radar platform. This plugin allows operators to configure, control, and visualize radar data directly within the TAK environment.
The integration is designed for military, public safety and security organizations that already use the Team Awareness Kit (TAK) ecosystem for command-and-control and shared situational awareness. Rather than requiring a separate radar interface, the plugin brings MESA radar controls and data into the ATAK environment. This move lets operators manage sensors and monitor activity through software they already use during missions.
TAK is a government-developed geospatial platform used across U.S. military organizations as well as federal, state, and local agencies. According to the U.S. Army TAK Product Center, the ecosystem supports 15 Department of Defense programs and more than 250,000 military and civilian users.
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Bringing radar data into existing TAK workflows
Radar systems often operate alongside mapping, tracking, and communications tools during defense and public safety missions. Switching between multiple applications can increase operator workload, especially when monitoring activity across several sensors or responding to rapidly changing conditions.
Echodyne's ATAK plugin simplifies that process by allowing users to access radar controls and view high-resolution data within the same operational interface used for mission planning and coordination. Instead of switching between separate radar applications, operators can incorporate sensor information directly into their existing TAK-based common operating picture.
The plugin also supports deployment of individual radar systems or distributed sensor networks. Integrating multiple radars into a shared environment can give connected users access to the same situational awareness data while lessening the need to manage separate software applications for each sensor.
Supporting defense and public safety operations
Echodyne provides radar systems for defense, border security, public safety and critical infrastructure applications, many of which already incorporate TAK into their command-and-control architecture. By extending MESA radar capabilities into ATAK, the company aims to simplify deployment while making radar information more accessible during daily operations.
The plugin is included with Echodyne's Software & Support package and is available immediately through the company's customer portal.
Echodyne develops radar systems based on its metamaterials electronically scanned array (MESA) technology, which combines electronically steered radar with software and machine learning to detect and track activity in both air and surface environments. Because the system does not rely on mechanically moving antennas, it can update targets quickly while maintaining a compact form factor for defense and commercial applications.
Eben Frankenberg, chief executive officer of Echodyne, said many of the company's customers already rely on TAK for mission planning and operational decision-making. Integrating MESA radar capabilities into that ecosystem gives users direct access to radar data through an interface they already know. Frankenberg said the release also reflects Echodyne's broader effort to improve interoperability for defense and public safety customers.
