# 9 Mothers Integrates Radar and Field-Tests Autonomous Counter-Drone Turrets

**Author:** Zero G Talent
**Published:** 2026-11-08
**Category:** aerospace-engineering
**Tags:** yc-hiring, counter-drone, computer vision, robotics, embedded systems, mechatronics, software engineering

[Read on Zero G Talent](https://zerogtalent.com/blog/9-mothers-integrates-radar-and-field-tests-autonomous-counter-drone-turrets)

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Austin-based defense technology company [9 Mothers](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-companies/9-mothers) is building AI-powered point defense systems designed to neutralize fast-moving aerial threats. Founded in 2024 and participating in Y Combinator's P26 batch, the 19-person company has rapidly moved its primary counter-small Unmanned Aerial System (C-sUAS) platform, named EDDA, into active military evaluations. EDDA is a compact, fully autonomous point-defense turret engineered to shoot down multiple Group 1 drones—aircraft weighing under 20 pounds and flying below 1,15 mph—at short ranges.

In August 2026, the U.S. Army tested the EDDA turret during Project Sand Hills 2.0 at Fort Bragg, as reported by [UDEFENSE-INFO MILITARY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L96rhCd2yKk). The live-fire demonstration mounted the 50-pound turret onto an autonomous Ford F-250 truck controlled by Forterra's Auto Drive system. The vehicle was tasked with clearing obstacles while defending itself against incoming drone swarms using EDDA's acoustic detection and visual tracking stack.

To power these systems, 9 Mothers is actively expanding its Austin engineering team. The company is hiring a [Perception Engineer, Staff](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/9-mothers/perception-engineer-staff-94661) ($250,000–$300,000) to own the computer vision pipeline on NVIDIA Jetson edge hardware, alongside a [Lead Mechatronics Engineer](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/9-mothers/lead-mechatronics-engineer-92239) ($250,000–$400,000) to design high-acceleration slewing systems for turret drives.

## Low-Cost Kinetic Interception and Radar Integration

EDDA addresses a structural cost imbalance in modern warfare: using high-cost missiles or heavy air defense systems to counter inexpensive First-Person View (FPV) drones. As CEO [Russell Smith](https://zerogtalent.com/people/russell-smith) explained on [The Drone Ultimatum](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag5LVytT1dU) podcast, 9 Mothers relies on kinetic effectors derived from modified 12-gauge shotgun mechanics mounted inside an automated turret. The system utilizes tungsten shot ammunition, delivering close-in interception capability at an engagement cost starting around $7 per drone.

To enhance tracking speed across 360-degree airspace, 9 Mothers partnered with Spotter Global to integrate the GAX500-3D radar into EDDA, according to [The National Law Review](https://natlawreview.com/press-releases/drones-defeated-spotter-global-radar-integrated-9-mothers-portable-counter). The Compact Holographic 3D radar weighs under 8 pounds, consumes 35 Watts of power, and updates 50 target tracks at an 18 Hz refresh rate. [RECOILweb](https://www.recoilweb.com/a-tale-of-two-techs-a-unique-partnership-for-drone-defense-solutions-193182.html) reported that the combined system offers a low-six-figure price point designed for man-portable or vehicle-mounted tactical deployment.

Beyond EDDA, 9 Mothers is developing ATLA—a purpose-built, belt-fed 12-gauge shotgun turret—and standalone acoustic sensor arrays branded as VOR. Bringing these platforms from board bring-up to physical deployment requires close hardware-software integration. 9 Mothers is seeking a [Embedded Engineer (BSP), Staff](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/9-mothers/embedded-engineer-bsp-staff-94662) ($250,000–$300,000) to manage board support packages and Linux platform development, as well as a [Robotics Engineer, Staff](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/9-mothers/lead-robotics-engineer-92240) ($250,000–$400,000) focused on high-bandwidth control loops and state estimation.

## Leadership and Technical Stack

[9 Mothers](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-companies/9-mothers) was co-founded by CEO [Russell Smith](https://zerogtalent.com/people/russell-smith), COO [Bogdan Pyzh](https://zerogtalent.com/people/bogdan-pyzh), and technical founder [Roman Khomenko](https://zerogtalent.com/people/roman-khomenko). [Russell Smith](https://zerogtalent.com/people/russell-smith) previously co-founded Rainforest QA, where he worked alongside [Roman Khomenko](https://zerogtalent.com/people/roman-khomenko), a machine learning practitioner who achieved a top-96 ranking on Kaggle. [Bogdan Pyzh](https://zerogtalent.com/people/bogdan-pyzh) brings background in physical security and drone infrastructure.

Engineers at 9 Mothers build robotic hardware, sensor integrations, and control models from scratch using a mix of Rust and Python running on embedded architectures. Teams combine vision, acoustics, radar, and motor control systems to engage fast-moving targets under tight Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) constraints.

To support model training and edge deployment, 9 Mothers is recruiting a [Machine Learning Engineer, Senior](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/9-mothers/senior-ai-engineer-92228) ($150,000–$250,000) to build dataset infrastructure and design target detection algorithms. The company is also hiring a [Computer Vision Engineer, Senior](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/9-mothers/computer-vision-engineer-senior-94660) ($150,000–$250,000) to optimize perception pipelines using TensorRT on embedded hardware.

## Engineering Opportunities in Austin

All open positions at 9 Mothers are based onsite at the company's Austin, Texas facility. Roles span software engineering, aerospace control systems, electrical platform development, and mechatronics design. Additional openings include a [Senior Mechatronics Engineer](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/9-mothers/senior-mechatronics-engineer-92234) ($150,000–$250,000) to bridge mechanical systems with drive code, and a [Robotics Engineer, Senior](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/9-mothers/senior-robotics-engineer-92229) ($150,000–$250,000) to implement high-bandwidth motion algorithms.

| Job Title | Location | Work Mode | Salary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Lead Mechatronics Engineer](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/9-mothers/lead-mechatronics-engineer-92239) | Austin, TX | Onsite | $250,000 – $400,000 |
| [Robotics Engineer, Staff](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/9-mothers/lead-robotics-engineer-92240) | Austin, TX | Onsite | $250,000 – $400,000 |
| [Embedded Engineer (BSP), Staff](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/9-mothers/embedded-engineer-bsp-staff-94662) | Austin, TX | Onsite | $250,000 – $300,000 |
| [Perception Engineer, Staff](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/9-mothers/perception-engineer-staff-94661) | Austin, TX | Onsite | $250,000 – $300,000 |
| [Computer Vision Engineer, Senior](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/9-mothers/computer-vision-engineer-senior-94660) | Austin, TX | Onsite | $150,000 – $250,000 |
| [Machine Learning Engineer, Senior](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/9-mothers/senior-ai-engineer-92228) | Austin, TX | Onsite | $150,000 – $250,000 |
| [Robotics Engineer, Senior](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/9-mothers/senior-robotics-engineer-92229) | Austin, TX | Onsite | $150,000 – $250,000 |
| [Senior Mechatronics Engineer](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/9-mothers/senior-mechatronics-engineer-92234) | Austin, TX | Onsite | $150,000 – $250,000 |

[See all open roles at 9 Mothers](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-companies/9-mothers)

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*Source: [Zero G Talent](https://zerogtalent.com), the job board for space, defense, AI, robotics and frontier-tech companies.*