Draganfly (DPRO) said Wednesday that it, along with F4 Defense International, has been selected by DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory for an initial development contract to develop a counter-unmanned aircraft system, or C-UAS.

The system will be designed to detect, identify, track, target and counter drones in contested operational environments, the company said.

The company said the platform is expected to integrate tethered airborne surveillance and targeting, AI-enabled drone identification and tracking, and real-time battlefield and base defense situational awareness, among other features.

The initial contract phase will likely focus on systems integration, operational capability development, and field evaluation activities, Draganfly said.

Draganfly shares were up over 3% in Wednesday's premarket activity.