Radar-platform company Echodyne has brought a new $40 million manufacturing facility online in Woodinville, Washington, expanding its production footprint to meet rising global demand for drone-detection and airspace-monitoring systems. The new plant is intended to support customers that rely on Echodyne’s radar technology for safety and security applications, particularly in detecting and tracking drones.
Headquartered in nearby Kirkland, Echodyne has established an 86,350-square-foot manufacturing and operations hub in Woodinville to centralize production and support functions. The facility is designed to ramp up output significantly over time, giving the company a dedicated industrial base to scale its radar manufacturing activities.
At full capacity, the Woodinville facility is expected to produce more than 2,500 radars per month, or roughly 30,000 units annually. This expanded throughput is aimed at addressing both U.S. and international demand for advanced radar solutions that can monitor airspace and identify unmanned aerial systems. The new operation represents a notable industrial investment tied to the growth of drone-related security and defense needs.
Echodyne currently employs 260 people, and the new facility is positioned as a meaningful job creator in the region. The company expects the Woodinville plant to support more than 100 new positions in the near term and potentially up to 200 additional roles as the site reaches full production capacity. The combination of manufacturing, operations, and anticipated workforce growth underscores the facility’s role as a long-term operating hub.
Discussing the expansion, CEO Eben Frankenberg pointed to the pace of customer demand for Echodyne’s systems. He noted that the company’s global customer base is asking for more radar, delivered quickly, and framed the strategy as a scaled response to scaled threats, stating that the only way to defend against mass is with mass.
Echodyne traces its origins to a 2014 spinout from Bellevue-based Intellectual Ventures, giving the firm a foundation in technology development and commercialization. Since then, it has attracted backing from a group of prominent investors, including Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, NEA, Madrona Venture Group, Baillie Gifford, and Northrop Grumman, among others. That capital support has helped underpin the company’s growth trajectory and enabled investments such as the new Woodinville manufacturing plant.
The Woodinville facility marks a significant industrial expansion for Echodyne as it scales production to serve a growing roster of domestic and international customers seeking reliable radar solutions for drone detection and broader airspace monitoring. The project also signals continued private-sector investment in specialized manufacturing tied to aerospace and security technologies in the region.
