U.S. Air Force Pararescue Squadron Fields Counter-Drone Jammer Forged Against Russian Electronic Warfare
Cipher swaps channels in the field as fast as the enemy changes frequencies. Tested against Russian forces in Ukraine. Built in Arizona without prohibited components.
PHOENIX, Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A U.S. Air Force Pararescue Squadron has bought and fielded four Cipher systems from RAZOR-01, a veteran-led counter-drone company. Cipher is a covert, vehicle-mounted electronic warfare system that lets operators swap channels to match the threat in front of them. Fixed-band systems cannot do that, and the enemy does not fly on fixed bands.
The need is now official and public. The Army's fiscal 2027 request for counter-UAS procurement is $994 million, up from $596 million in fiscal 2026. A January 2026 Department of Defense Inspector General review found more than 20 conflicting counter-UAS policies, with many installations unauthorized to operate counter-drone systems.
The team behind RAZOR-01, U.S. special-operations veterans, arrived in Ukraine in March 2022, two weeks after the invasion. They watched counter-drone equipment built for a different war fall behind an enemy that changed frequencies faster than any product cycle. Working against live Russian electronic warfare, RAZOR-01 partners developed five generations of antennas and three jammers: Cipher, Warden, and Scout. All three have been extensively used against Russian forces in Ukraine, most recently the week of September 1st, 2026.
"We arrived in Ukraine two weeks after the invasion and in the last four and a half years watched fixed-band jammers fall behind an enemy that changed frequencies faster than any product cycle. So we worked with our Ukrainian partners and built the answer at the front: a system the operator re-channels in the field, priced so every vehicle in a convoy can carry one instead of one in three. An Air Force Pararescue Squadron has now bought four and fielded them. That is what Forged in Ukraine, Built in America means," said Rob Mott, CEO of RAZOR-01.
Cipher is built on RAZOR-01's 18-channel modular architecture, with eight channels per unit, and mounts on a vehicle as a low-visibility roof pod. "The tech in the demo [performed] well in comparison with the C-UAS gear I saw at REPTILE. I genuinely want to see things move forward," said a U.S. Navy Electronic Warfare Officer. It uses an open architecture designed to work with existing tools and networks, and is built in Scottsdale without components from sources prohibited under the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act.
"In the cockpit, you learn that the side that adapts faster wins. Drone threats now change faster than fixed systems can keep up, and RAZOR-01 built a system that changes with the enemy. It was tested against Russian forces and is now fielded by an Air Force squadron. This is what speed to the warfighter looks like," said James D. Murphy, Chief Strategy Officer of RAZOR-01, a former F-15 pilot, and founder of Afterburner Capital.
Program offices and qualified buyers can request an evaluation at RAZOR01.COM.
ABOUT RAZOR-01
RAZOR-01 is a veteran-led counter-drone company that builds modular electronic warfare systems that change frequencies as fast as the enemy does. Its team of U.S. special-operations veterans has worked alongside Ukrainian units since March 2022, co-developing five generations of antennas and three jammers, Cipher, Warden, and Scout, against live Russian electronic warfare. The three jammers run on one 18-channel architecture in which the operator, not the manufacturer, chooses the channels, and they are built in Scottsdale, Arizona, without components from sources prohibited under the FY26 NDAA. RAZOR-01 is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business, registered in SAM.gov and with the State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls. Program offices can request an evaluation at RAZOR01.COM. Forged in Ukraine. Built in America.
MEDIA CONTACT
Sarah Halloran, CMO | [email protected]
Imagery and specifications on request. Photos courtesy of RAZOR-01.
SOURCE RAZOR-01
Share this article