US company Cohere Technologies received a $28 million contract from the FutureG Office of the US Department of Defense. The project is aimed at creating a system that will turn commercial 5G and 6G networks into an intelligent sensor infrastructure for detecting drones.

The development is called ISAC — Integrated Sensing and Communications. It will use existing cellular infrastructure while remaining indistinguishable from ordinary network traffic. The solution is based on orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing, OFDM, and Pulsone technology built on the Zak-OTFS signal.

The system prototype is expected to provide continuous monitoring of the air and ground environment. ISAC will be able to detect, classify and track objects in real time, as well as generate three-dimensional trajectories of target movement.

A separate focus of the project is countering drone swarms. The US military considers this area one of its priorities.

FutureG representative Tom Rondeau said that Cohere had proposed a clear plan that was ready for immediate implementation. The contract became a continuation of the National Science Foundation’s VINES project.

Cohere CEO Ray Dolan noted that the development confirms the company’s course toward creating dual-use infrastructure that will serve both national security interests and commercial markets.

In addition to military applications, the system is planned to be used in public safety and traffic management in smart cities.