Silentium Defence
Silentium Defence designs and manufactures passive radar systems that covertly detect and track threats across land, sea, air, and space using ambient radio signals, serving defense, government, and prime contractor customers with hardware and space-surveillance data services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersAdelaide, Australia
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Silentium Defence does
Silentium Defence is an Australian defense technology company founded in 2017 by Dr. James Palmer and Simon Palumbo, headquartered in Adelaide, South Australia. The company designs, engineers, and manufactures passive radar systems that detect and track objects across land, sea, air, and space domains using existing ambient radio signals in the environment, without emitting detectable signals themselves. This covert-detection capability addresses a specific operational gap: the vulnerability of traditional active radar to anti-radiation weapons and the inability of conventional systems to detect non-emitting threats such as dark drones and autonomous systems.
The company's product portfolio spans tactical to strategic deployments, organized around the MAVERICK family (M8 backpack-deployable, Excalibur relocatable 3D, Fortress 3D fixed-site), the OMNIGUARD space-surveillance system and its OMNIGUARD SpaceWatch data-as-a-service offering for Low Earth Orbit Resident Space Object tracking, and supporting mission planning/simulation tools (MAPIT, MERLIN). All products are designed for rapid deployment, low Size Weight and Power (SWaP), no spectrum licensing, and 24/7 all-weather operation. The company is ISO 9001 certified and operates with a wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary (Silentium Defense Corporation) headquartered in Apex, North Carolina.
Silentium generates revenue primarily through hardware sales of passive radar systems to defense, government, and prime contractor customers, plus a recurring subscription data service via OMNIGUARD SpaceWatch. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting defense procurement programs directly (e.g., AIR6500, LAND 156) and integration through defense prime contractors such as Lockheed Martin Australia. Named customers include the Australian Defence Force (across Army, Navy, Air Force), Royal Australian Navy, Lockheed Martin Australia, and U.S. defense customers, with strategic alignment to the AUKUS trilateral partnership. As of May 2026 the company had surpassed 100 employees across facilities in Adelaide and the United States, with leadership expanded to include a CFO, a CEO for North America, and dedicated APAC business development leadership.
Silentium Defence firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Silentium Defence
- Legal name
- Silentium Defence Pty Ltd
- Website
- https://silentiumdefence.com.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Silentium Defence designs and manufactures passive radar systems that covertly detect and track threats across land, sea, air, and space using ambient radio signals, serving defense, government, and prime contractor customers with hardware and space-surveillance data services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Silentium Defence industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Passive Radar Systems
- NAICS
- Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)
- SIC
- Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Radar Systems & Subsystems (Airborne, Ground, Naval) (IMABAGAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Space-Based Defense Systems (SSA, Missile Warning, Protected SATCOM) (IMABAOAH)
Keywords
Where Silentium Defence is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Adelaide
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices4 records
Markets served
Silentium Defence business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Passive Radar Hardware Sales: Sale of passive radar systems including MAVERICK M8, MAVERICK Excalibur, MAVERICK Fortress 3D, and OMNIGUARD. Systems are sold to defense, government, and commercial customers for tactical to strategic surveillance applications.
- Space Surveillance Data Services: Data-as-a-service subscription model (SpaceWatch) providing continuous, high-fidelity tracking and monitoring of objects in Low Earth Orbit. Delivered via API or preferred data integrator.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Silentium Defence product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Silentium Defence designs, engineers, and develops passive radar systems that detect and track objects using existing ambient radio signals in the environment without emitting signals themselves. The company delivers the MAVERICK family of tactical-to-strategic radar systems and the OMNIGUARD space surveillance sensor for covert situational awareness across land, sea, air, and space domains, complemented by MAPIT mission planning and MERLIN simulation software and the OMNIGUARD SpaceWatch data-as-a-service offering.
Product overview
Silentium Defence offers a unified portfolio of passive radar products and mission planning software for covert situational awareness across land, sea, air, and space domains. The MAVERICK product family (M8, Excalibur, Fortress 3D) provides tactical to strategic passive radar solutions that detect and track threats without emitting signals. OMNIGUARD extends surveillance capabilities to space domain awareness with the SpaceWatch data-as-a-service offering. Supporting these core radar products are MAPIT and MERLIN mission planning and simulation tools. All products operate covertly, require no spectrum licence, and provide multi-domain coverage for counter-UAS, integrated air and missile defence, tactical surveillance, and space domain awareness missions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- MAVERICK M8
Quantifiable outcome
- Backpack to operational in under 10 minutes for MAVERICK M8
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Silentium Defence
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Silentium Defence technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability5 records
Feature7 records
Silentium Defence partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Australian Defence Force (AUKUS)coreStrategic alignment with AUKUS partnership creating opportunities for passive radar technology in the trilateral security partnership between Australia, UK, and US. Company positioned to benefit from increased defense cooperation and international defense market access.
- Domo Tactical Communications (DTC)corePartnership to deliver a combined low size, weight and power (SWaP) covert air defense solution capable of detecting surface to airborne targets. Combines DTC's wireless mesh technology with Silentium's passive radar for integrated air defense capabilities.
- Saab AustraliacoreMemorandum of Understanding signed to advance complementary capabilities in Counter UAS (C-UAS) and Situational Awareness solutions. The partnership leverages Saab's integrated command and control systems expertise with Silentium's passive radar technology to deliver superior outcomes for defense and civilian customers.
- Lockheed Martin AustraliaflagshipPartnership for AIR6500 Joint Air Battle Management System where Silentium's MAVERICK passive radar systems are integrated as a key component. Silentium delivers MAVERICK Fortress-3D sensors to Lockheed Martin for the program, with ongoing collaboration since 2017.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Silentium Defence competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Thales: Global defense electronics prime with multi-domain radar portfolios (Ground Master, SMART-L, surface-surveillance radar) and active passive-radar research; competes with Silentium in air defense, counter-UAS and space domain awareness programs.
- Northrop Grumman: US defense prime with major radar, missile-warning and space-surveillance programs; closely comparable in Space Domain Awareness (Silentium's OMNIGUARD/SpaceWatch competes conceptually with Northrop's space-tracking offerings).
- Raytheon (RTX): US defense electronics prime with a deep radar portfolio across air, missile and space surveillance; Silentium's new CFO came from Raytheon Australia, signaling labor-market overlap and direct competitive overlap in US radar procurements.
- Lockheed Martin: Silentium's flagship integration partner on AIR6500 and the dominant US/global defense prime; competes broadly in radar and air defense and could either sustain Silentium as a sensor supplier or develop competing capability.
- Leonardo: Italian defense prime with a significant radar and electronic warfare portfolio including surveillance radars and counter-UAS solutions; competes broadly in the same defense-electronics procurement environment as Silentium.
Emerging players
- Echodyne: US-based radar startup producing compact metamaterial-based radar for counter-UAS, base security and autonomous systems; comparable as a smaller, venture-backed specialist radar vendor addressing adjacent counter-drone and perimeter-security missions.
Direct peers
- IAI ELTA Systems: Israeli defense radar specialist producing ELTA passive coherent location systems, ground surveillance radars and counter-drone sensors; closely comparable in passive radar, multi-domain coverage and air defense offerings.
- HENSOLDT: German sensor house specializing in radar, electronic warfare and spectrum-dominant sensing for defense customers; closely comparable as a specialist sensor supplier with passive/surveillance radar work and similar European defense-customer base.
- Robin Radar Systems: Dutch specialist in counter-drone and bird-detection radar; directly comparable as a focused radar vendor serving defense, security and infrastructure customers with covert/specialized detection requirements.
- Saab: Swedish defense group with established passive radar products (CARABAS, LOKE) and an existing Silentium partnership (MoU since 2020); directly competes in passive-bistatic-radar for air and maritime surveillance and integrates with similar command-and-control systems.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Silentium Defence social profiles
Digital presenceSilentium Defence compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Silentium Defence financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Silentium Defence leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Silentium Defence subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Silentium Defence funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Silentium Defence M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Silentium Defence
What does Silentium Defence do?
Silentium Defence designs, engineers, and develops passive radar systems that detect and track objects using existing ambient radio signals in the environment without emitting signals themselves. The company delivers the MAVERICK family of tactical-to-strategic radar systems and the OMNIGUARD space surveillance sensor for covert situational awareness across land, sea, air, and space domains, complemented by MAPIT mission planning and MERLIN simulation software and the OMNIGUARD SpaceWatch data-as-a-service offering.
Is Silentium Defence a public or private company?
Silentium Defence is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Silentium Defence founded?
Silentium Defence was founded in 2017. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Silentium Defence based?
Silentium Defence is headquartered in Adelaide, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Silentium Defence make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Passive Radar Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are space Surveillance Data Services.
Who are Silentium Defence's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Thales, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon (RTX), Lockheed Martin and Leonardo. Echodyne is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are IAI ELTA Systems, HENSOLDT, Robin Radar Systems and Saab.
Does Silentium Defence have an API?
No public API is recorded for Silentium Defence.
What industry is Silentium Defence in?
Silentium Defence's product category is Passive Radar Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABAGAA, Radar Systems & Subsystems (Airborne, Ground, Naval), with a secondary code of IMABAOAH, Space-Based Defense Systems (SSA, Missile Warning, Protected SATCOM). Its NAICS code is 334511 and its SIC code is 3812.