Highlander Partners L.P., a private investment firm, announced the acquisition of Liteye Systems Inc.,. Liteye a defense company that develops, integrates and manufactures counter unmanned aircraft systems to neutralize hostile drone threats.
The rise of drone activity has created a need for sophisticated C-UAS systems to protect against threats to people and critical civilian and military infrastructure, and to conduct military and national security operations.
Founded in 2000 with a focus on selling thermal cameras and head-mounted displays to military and law enforcement agencies, Liteye in 2015 shifted its focus to C-UAS technologies. The company has since grown into a leading manufacturer and integrator of C-UAS systems that detect, identify, track and disrupt hostile unmanned aircraft.
The company operates as an integrator of best-in-class technology through exclusive strategic partnerships, offering highly configurable and hardware agnostic systems that are customized to fit mission objectives and customer requisites. This modular approach eliminates hardware dependencies and facilitates technology upgrades to ensure Liteye’s systems are always equipped with the latest cutting-edge technologies. The company has long-term relationships with U.S. and international government agencies.
Earlier this year, Highlander formed High Point Aerotechnologies LLC specifically to focus on and pursue the rapidly evolving C-UAS and UAS industries. The objective of High Point is to create a global leader in these high growth categories through the acquisition of established operating companies, emerging technologies, and industry experts. Under the leadership of former senior special ops officer Jim Gavrilis, High Point has quickly made significant progress. The High Point team now consists of a variety of leaders with backgrounds in defense, government and technology, each of whom will assist Liteye in its growth initiatives.
Kenneth Geyer and Tom Scott, co-founders of Liteye commented, “The Liteye executive team is thrilled to join forces with Highlander to continue the growth of our multi-mission C-UAS platforms, built around protecting lives and critical infrastructure,” Liteye co-founders Kenneth Geyer and Tom Scott said in a statement. “We feel that the need for advanced C-UAS is more pressing than ever, and we believe that High Point and the broader Highlander team bring the necessary government and military relationships, industry experience and long-term financial approach to support us in driving Liteye and the C-UAS industry forward.”
Jeff L. Hull, president and CEO of Highlander, said, “Despite meaningful private and public investment, many of today’s C-UAS solutions lag advancements in offensive drone technology. However, Liteye’s system of systems approach and technology provide a leading solution to the market compared to many other C-UAS platforms. Needless to say, we are impressed with what Kenneth, Tom, and the rest of the Liteye team have built and we look forward to working together with them to take the company to new heights.”
