WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 4, 2025--
Armaments Research Company (ARC), a leader in AI-enabled weapon-mounted sensing, announced that it has been named one of four winners of the U.S. Army’s xTech Counterstrike competition—an internationally scoped effort to identify and accelerate next-generation counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) technologies. ARC won the “passive sensing” category, enabling soldiers to cue UAS defeat assets at the tactical edge without additional cognitive burden on the soldiers in contact.
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As a winner of the US Army xTech Counterstrike Competition, ARC received $350,000 in prize funding and secured placement on the G-TEAD Marketplace.
The multi-phase competition, sponsored by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)), U.S. Army Europe and Africa, and the Global Tactical Edge Acquisition Directorate (G-TEAD), began with more than 250 applicants. Following an initial down-select to 15 finalists and a $50,000 award, ARC advanced to the program’s Phase 2 live experimentation event in Germany—culminating in its selection as a top winner for 2025.
ARC’s winning entry—its AI-Enabled Weapon Sensor (AEWS) —was recognized for enabling passive C-UAS detection, autonomous cueing, and real-time, weapon-borne data collection that strengthens battlefield awareness at the tactical edge. By transforming every weapon into an intelligent sensor, AEWS gives small units the ability to identify, characterize, and respond to aerial threats with unprecedented speed and precision.
As part of this achievement, ARC received $350,000 in prize funding and secured placement on the G-TEAD Marketplace, a strategic contracting and acquisition vehicle that accelerates rapid procurement and fielding for units operating in globally distributed, contested, and denied environments.
“Adversary drones are reshaping the battlefield faster than traditional acquisition can adapt,” said ARC CEO Mike Canty. “ARC’s down-select in the G-TEAD program confirms AEWS as a foundational passive sensor for layered C-UAS defense and charts a clear path for U.S. and allied forces to field it at scale. It’s a pivotal step toward the resilient, networked air defense architecture our warfighters need as the threat continues to evolve—and we're honored to contribute to the solution.”
With this win, ARC continues its mission to equip warfighters with breakthrough sensing technology that enhances lethality, survivability, and decision advantage across the modern battlespace.
About ARC
Armaments Research Company is a defense technology company specializing in AI-enabled weapon sensors and data-driven battlefield analytics. ARC’s solutions integrate seamlessly into existing small-arms platforms to provide real-time visibility, improved training and sustainment, and enhanced operational effectiveness for military and security forces worldwide.
As a winner of the US Army xTech Counterstrike Competition, ARC received $350,000 in prize funding and secured placement on the G-TEAD Marketplace.
GENEVA (AP) — Public broadcasters in Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain and Slovenia on Thursday pulled out of next year’s Eurovision Song Contest after organizers decided to allow Israel to compete, putting political discord on center stage over a usually joyful celebration of music.
The walkouts came after the general assembly of the European Broadcasting Union — a group of public broadcasters from 56 countries that runs the glitzy annual event — met to discuss concerns about Israel’s participation, which some countries oppose over its conduct of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
At the meeting, EBU members voted to adopt tougher contest voting rules in response to allegations that Israel manipulated the vote in favor of their contestants, but took no action to exclude any broadcaster from the competition.
The feel-good pop music gala that draws more than 100 million viewers every year has been roiled by the war in Gaza for the past two years, stirring protests outside the venues and forcing organizers to clamp down on political flag-waving.
“It’s a historic moment for the European Broadcasting Union. This is certainly one of the most serious crises that the organization has ever faced,” said Eurovision expert Dean Vuletic. “Next year, we’re going to see the biggest political boycott of Eurovision ever."
Vuletic, author of "Postwar Europe and the Eurovision Song Contest," predicted “tense” weeks and months ahead as other countries contemplate joining the walkout and protests set to overshadow the contest's 70th anniversary in Vienna next May.
A report on the website of Icelandic broadcaster RUV said its chiefs would meet next Wednesday to discuss whether Iceland would take part: Its board last week recommended that Israel be barred from the event in the Austrian capital.
The broadcasting union said it was aware that four broadcasters — RTVE in Spain, AVROTROS in the Netherlands, RTÉ in Ireland and Slovenia’s RTVSLO — had publicly said they would not take part.
A final list of participating countries will be announced by Christmas, EBU said.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on social platform X that he was “pleased” Israel will again take part, and hoped "the competition will remain one that champions culture, music, friendship between nations and cross-border cultural understanding.”
“Thank you to all our friends who stood up for Israel’s right to continue to contribute and compete at Eurovision,” he added.
Austria, which is set to host the competition after Viennese singer JJ won this year with “Wasted Love,” supported Israel’s participation. Germany, too, supported Israel along with countries like Switzerland and Luxembourg, Vuletic said.
AVROTROS, the Dutch broadcaster, said the participation of Israel “is no longer compatible with the responsibility we bear as a public broadcaster.”
Spain's RTVE said the situation in Gaza — despite the recent ceasefire — and "Israel’s use of the contest for political purposes, make it increasingly difficult to maintain Eurovision as a neutral cultural event.”
RTÉ said Ireland's participation “remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza" and the humanitarian crisis there.
Some broadcasters — which run their country's news programs and wanted Israel kept out — cited killings of journalists in the conflict in Gaza and Israel's continued policy of denying international journalists access to the territory.
Israeli broadcaster KAN's chief executive Golan Yochpaz questioned whether EBU members are "willing to be part of a step that harms freedom of creation and freedom of expression.”
KAN officials said the Israeli broadcaster was not involved in any prohibited campaign intended to influence the results of the latest song contest in Basel, Switzerland last May — when Israel's Yuval Raphael placed second.
The contest pits acts from dozens of nations against one another for Europe's musical crown. It strives to put pop before politics, but has repeatedly been embroiled in world events. Russia was expelled in 2022 after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The war in Gaza has been its biggest challenge, with pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrating against Israel outside the last two Eurovision contests in Basel, Switzerland, in May and Malmo, Sweden, in 2024.
Opponents of Israel's participation cite the war in Gaza, which has left more than 70,000 people dead, according to the territory's Health Ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run government and whose detailed records are viewed as generally reliable by the international community.
Israel’s government has repeatedly defended its campaign as a response to the attack by Hamas-led militants that started the war on Oct. 7, 2023. The militants killed around 1,200 people — mostly civilians — in the attack and took 251 hostage.
A number of experts, including those commissioned by a U.N. body, have said that Israel’s offensive in Gaza amounts to genocide, a claim that Israel — home to many Holocaust survivors and their relatives — has vigorously denied.
A boycott by some European broadcasters could have implications for viewership and money at a time when many broadcasters are under financial pressure from government funding cuts and the advent of social media.
The pullouts include some big names in the Eurovision world. Spain is one of the “Big Five” large-market countries that contribute the most to the contest. Ireland has won seven times, a record it shares with Sweden.
The controversy over Israel's 2026 participation also threatens to overshadow the return next year of three countries — Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania — after periods of absence because of financial and artistic reasons.
“Next year’s edition is certainly going to be one of the most politicized ever,” Vuletic said. “It’s the 70th anniversary. It was meant to be a big celebration, a big party, but it’s going to be shrouded in political controversy yet again.”
Lawless reported from London.
FILE - Singer Yuval Raphael, from Israel, holds the national flag during a dress rehearsal for the Grand Final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, May 16, 2025, in Basel, Switzerland. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)
FILE - Israeli fans cheer for Yuval Raphael, from Israel, after she performed during the semi-final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)
FILE - JJ, from Austria, stands on the stage with his trophy after winning the Grand Final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland, May 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)
