The Tactien Group Introduces CAST™. A New Capability for Independent Counter-UAS Evaluation
Developed through Tactien's ongoing C-UAS support work, CAST gives Tactien analysts a consistent, evidence-based way to evaluate performance and support critical program decisions.
Tuesday, 6 October 2026 | The Tactien Group, an independent aviation advisory firm for critical infrastructure, today introduced CAST™ (Patent Pending), a capability it built through its ongoing counter-UAS (C-UAS) subject matter expert support work. CAST (Counter-UXS Assessment and System Testing) is the analytical toolset Tactien analysts use to plan, run, and score C-UAS evaluations.
Vendor demonstrations and spec sheets set a baseline. However, that does not represent how such technology performs in a specific environment, against incursions it wasn't expecting, alongside competing technologies in the same environment. Operators are making C-UAS decisions with real money and real risk behind them. Those decisions need evidence. Public attention is rising too: JIATF-401 and the recent Falcon Peak exercises have raised the profile of C-UAS performance in the field, and the next Falcon Peak will be urban.
Tactien's approach starts with independence. The firm is vendor-neutral and tied to no aircraft OEM, technology provider, or service provider. Its analysts run blind red-team flight tests under operationally realistic conditions, so vendors don't know what's coming. Tactien-verified flight telemetry serves as the independent control. Every detection feed gets compared to where the aircraft were and what they were doing.
CAST is the toolset built to support that work. It covers site mapping and threat analysis and incorporates both internal and public GIS data that identifies likely interference areas for test planning. It scores every vendor's detection feed against the same KPI set. Analysts can replay test events and compare telemetry tracks in 3D, then generate a performance report. CAST scores detect, track, and classify performance. Analysts make the calls. CAST makes sure they make them from the same evidence, the same way, at every site and for every vendor.
"End-users are recognizing the need for Counter-UAS systems to reduce risks to their assets," said Nate Ernst, Founder and President of The Tactien Group. "The challenge becomes determining which technologies work for a specific environment and then which vendors of that technology perform best. We built CAST to be a common operating picture for complex vetting and validation scenarios, using independent incursion telemetry as the truth. Our analysts use this system, and it's what makes the results defensible."
"After 35 years of federal engineering work, I'll tell you a test is only worth what you can reproduce and defend," said Ed Celiano, Strategic Operations at Tactien. "If two evaluations use different methods, you can't compare them. CAST gives analysts one method. The judgment stays with the people running the test."
CAST sits inside the full Tactien C-UAS lifecycle: education, program strategy, vendor vetting, testing, validation, analysis, and support. Operators can engage Tactien at any point in that sequence, from building the case for a program to confirming a deployed system performs as advertised, to commissioning technology across enterprise footprints.
Talk to Tactien about your C-UAS program: Contact The Tactien Group
About The Tactien Group
The Tactien Group is an independent aviation advisory firm for critical infrastructure. It helps electric utilities, oil and gas operators, water authorities, and data center operators design, build, and scale aviation programs that work for their specific operations. Tactien is tied to no OEM, software platform, or service provider. Its advisory support follows the customer's missions. Its offering spans program strategy, regulatory support, vendor vetting, and independent C-UAS and UAS program support services.
