What Trust Automation does

Trust Automation, Inc. is a privately held, woman-owned small business founded in 1990 and headquartered in San Luis Obispo, California, that designs and manufactures precision motion control, power management, and RF systems for the U.S. Department of Defense, defense prime contractors, semiconductor manufacturers, and industrial automation customers. Its product portfolio spans the SUADS family of counter-small UAS platforms (RD-SUADS, FS-SUADS, EX-SUADS) built to the SOSA standard, the GAT UAS Jammer, passive RF detection and cyber-hardened detection systems, Controlled Reception Pattern Antennas, the Blue Sky modular military power system, and the TA-series of linear servo drives (TA105, TA115, TA305, TA310, TA330, TA333) plus the TA4000C EtherCAT drive, with engineering precision down to ±1 nanometer for semiconductor lithography and wafer handling applications.

The company operates a vertically integrated design-and-manufacturing model in which systems engineering, simulation, and build are co-located, allowing it to act as a single point of responsibility for complex electromechanical subsystems across radar positioning, missile launchers, howitzers, munition feeds, VTOL power and propulsion, and cleanroom semiconductor equipment. Trust Automation is AS9100D / ISO 9001:2015 certified, ITAR registered, ANSI/ESD-S20.20 compliant, J-STD-001 certified, and holds WOSB status, qualifying it to bid on aerospace and defense programs.

Revenue is generated through defense government contracts (including a $490M U.S. Air Force IDIQ for counter-UAS through August 2030), subcontracts with primes such as Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Xcelaero, and Aerojet on programs like AN/TPQ-53, MEADS, Paladin, 3DELRR, and Sentinel, plus commercial hardware sales and custom manufacturing for semiconductor and industrial customers. The company sells through direct enterprise field sales from San Luis Obispo, a network of U.S. regional sales representatives, and Akribis Systems covering Japan, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. Pricing is quote-based with no public list prices, reflecting the custom-engineered nature of its offerings.

Name

Trust Automation

Legal name

Trust Automation, Inc.

Website

https://trustautomation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Motion Control and Defense Systems

NAICS

Relay and Industrial Control Manufacturing (335314), Speed Changer, Industrial High-Speed Drive, and Gear Manufacturing (333612), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825), Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) (3600)

akta.pro primary industry

Servo Motors & Servo Drives (IMAGACAC)

Keywords

• Motion control systems
• Counter-UAS solutions
• Linear servo drives
• Military power management
• Precision motor controls

Headquarters

HQ city

San Luis Obispo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Defense Government Contracts: Prime and subcontract positions on U.S. DoD and military contracts for counter-UAS technologies, defense motion/power systems, and related technologies. Includes the $490M USAF IDIQ contract for C-UAS research, development, prototyping, and production through 2030.
2. Custom Motion Control & Power Systems: Design, engineering, and manufacturing of complex electromechanical systems including motors, drives, linear amplifiers, actuators, and power management systems for defense, semiconductor, and industrial customers.
3. Precision Manufacturing Services: High-mix, agile manufacturing and build-to-print capabilities supporting defense, semiconductor and advanced industries. Includes electromechanical integration, cable solutions, and testing services.
4. cUAS Product Sales: Sale of counter-small UAS products including SUADS platforms, GAT UAS jammers, and RF detection systems to defense and government customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Trust Automation designs and manufactures precision motion control systems (linear servo drives and motor amplifiers), power management systems, and counter-small unmanned aerial system (cUAS) platforms for defense, semiconductor manufacturing and industrial automation customers. The company also provides custom electromechanical assemblies, build-to-print manufacturing services, and ruggedized RF/cyber-hardened detection products for U.S. military and prime defense contractors. Its core commercial products include the SUADS family (RD-SUADS, FS-SUADS, EX-SUADS), the GAT UAS Jammer, the TA Series linear drives (TA105, TA115, TA305, TA310, TA330, TA333), and the TA4000C EtherCAT drive.

Product overview

Trust Automation offers a portfolio of motion control, power management, and counter-UAS defense products for defense, semiconductor, and industrial automation markets. The core cUAS offerings include the Small-Unmanned Air Defense System (SUADS) family with two platform variants—RD-SUADS (rapidly deployable) and FS-SUADS (fixed site)—both designed for counter-small UAS operations with sensor fusion capabilities. The GAT UAS Jammer provides field-deployable counter-drone jamming in a compact, weapons-mountable package. Supporting these are precision linear drives (TA105, TA115, TA305, TA310, TA330, TA333) and the TA4000C EtherCAT drive for motor control applications, ranging from low-power brush/brushless servo amplifiers to fourth-generation class AB amplifiers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RD-SUADS (Rapidly Deployable Small-Unmanned Air Defense System)

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• EchodynecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 August 2025Echodyne selected as primary radar system provider for Trust Automation's $490M U.S. Air Force counter-UAS IDIQ contract. Echodyne's EchoShield radar is integrated across three SUADS variants (RD-SUADS, FS-SUADS, EX-SUADS) built to SOSA standard. The radars are designed for various Small-Unmanned Air Defense System platforms to detect and respond to drone threats across different operational environments, improving detection range and accuracy.
• Edgesource CorporationcoreTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration with Edgesource Corporation and the U.S. Department of Defense to enhance drone detection platforms with cyber-hardened systems. The partnership disconnects detection systems from foreign servers and mitigates national security risks, addressing cybersecurity concerns in counter-drone technologies.
• Lockheed MartincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing prime contractor relationship spanning multiple defense programs including AN/TPQ-53 (Q-53) counterfire radar, TP-Y Ground Based Radar, and Sentinel Ground Based Radar programs. Trust Automation provides motion control, power management, and elevation control systems for critical defense applications.
• XcelaerocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on multiple defense programs including Paladin Mobile Howitzer (subcontracted through DRS Technologies to BAE Systems) and Great Horned Owl program (partnered with Aerojet and IARPA). Trust Automation provides power and propulsion systems for VTOL and mobile platforms.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• DroneShield: DroneShield is a publicly listed counter-UAS specialist offering RF detection, jamming, and soft-kill defeat products for military and government customers. Comparable to Trust Automation's GAT UAS Jammer and SUADS family in the C-UAS hardware category, with a more focused product portfolio.
• Anduril Industries: Anduril builds AI-enabled defense products including counter-UAS (Roadrunner), autonomous air vehicles, and integrated command-and-control systems. Comparable to Trust Automation's C-UAS business as a competing counter-UAS platform competitor with substantially greater capital and software autonomy capabilities.

Direct peers

• Elmo Motion Control: Elmo Motion Control produces high-performance servo drives and motion controllers for industrial, defense, and aerospace applications requiring compact form factors and harsh-environment qualification. Comparable to Trust Automation's small-footprint linear amplifiers and defense ruggedized drives.
• ACS Motion Control: ACS Motion Control supplies multi-axis motion controllers and servo drives for semiconductor, flat-panel, and precision industrial applications. Comparable to Trust Automation in the precision multi-axis motion controller category serving semiconductor and industrial automation end markets.
• Physik Instrumente (PI): PI is a leading manufacturer of nanopositioning systems, piezoelectric motors, and precision motion stages for semiconductor lithography, photonics, and scientific instrumentation. Directly comparable in nanoscale positioning capability versus Trust Automation's ±1nm precision motion offering.
• Kollmorgen (Regal Rexnord): Kollmorgen is a leading manufacturer of servo motors, servo drives, and motion control solutions for industrial automation, medical, semiconductor, and defense markets. Directly comparable to Trust Automation's TA-series linear/servo amplifier portfolio and EtherCAT-class drive offerings.
• Galil Motion Control: Galil designs and manufactures motion controllers, servo drives, and I/O products for OEMs in industrial automation, medical, semiconductor, and defense. Comparable in the motion controller category and EtherCAT-class drive interface space where Trust Automation's TA4000C competes.
• Aerotech: Aerotech designs and manufactures precision motion control and positioning systems—including servo drives, motors, and nanopositioning stages—for semiconductor, defense, and industrial automation customers. Direct overlap with Trust Automation's TA-series linear drives and ±1nm motion control business in semiconductor lithography and defense targeting applications.

Broad incumbents

• Mercury Systems: Mercury Systems designs and manufactures mission-critical defense electronics, including RF and microwave components, embedded processing, and ruggedized subsystems. Comparable as a defense electronics incumbent serving similar prime contractors and DoD end-customers to Trust Automation's defense motion/power/C-UAS portfolio.
• Moog Inc. Moog is a broad incumbent in precision motion control, supplying servo motors, drives, and electromechanical actuation for aerospace and defense programs. Comparable as a Tier-1 defense motion-control supplier with overlapping product categories (servo drives, motion controllers) but a much larger portfolio and scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/trustautomation
• Facebookfacebook.com/trustauto

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Trust Automation