What are COTS Products?
Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) refers to products, both hardware and software, that have already passed through the development process and can be purchased and used immediately, either by military and/or civilian customers.
All Spotter Global products go through a detailed design process, precision manufacturing and rigorous testing to ensure our compact radars are reliable in harsh environments. Our customers get the advantage of a military grade radar that is still considered a Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) product. Spotter Global is proud to have created the compact surveillance radar market when it developed its first radars in 2009. The United States military was Spotter Global’s first customer, using the new, lightweight, all-weather radar systems to support Village Stability Operations (VSOs) in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Spotter Global has supplied radars to the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) since 2011. Today, however, Spotter Global products are also used by civilian security industry clients to protect critical infrastructure sites, commercial properties, high-net-worth homes, and much more.
Understanding Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Components in the Military
In some areas, and during some periods of history, it has been the norm for militaries to commission the development of the technologies and other equipment they needed from specific development companies. This allowed the military to order the precise development of what they needed and even retain exclusive access to that product for a time. While this did allow certain proprietary designs to remain secure from enemy and public scrutiny, this approach also slowed down military technology advancement.
Though not developed and retained in such privacy, COTS products lend unique advantages that military leadership cannot afford to overlook, especially during times of great urgency.
The Main Benefits of COTS Components for the Military
Lower costs in product development and faster deployment are the primary benefits of COTS. If a civilian company has already developed the product at its own expense, the military doesn't have to pay for development at all, simply the price of the product itself. COTS products also allow for faster deployments, which is often very important for military projects. COTS products can also act as a buffer against scope creep they can be chosen early to meet (and not exceed) the operation's needs as originally outlined.
Another point in favor of COTS products is their ease of integration. In the defense industry, COTS systems can often be integrated with the greatest speed with existing systems while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. Custom, military-commissioned components and systems may require new hardware and software to integrate with existing systems.
Standards and Selection Process for COTS
The selection process for COTS vendors can be rigorous. Products must meet military-grade ruggedization, reliability, and, in the case of software, cybersecurity standards. Vendors catch on quickly, however, and many can readily prove that their products can withstand harsh environmental conditions, resist cyberattacks, and surmount the other obstacles necessary to be considered "military grade". This makes many COTS products and companies a reputable and reliable choice for military applications.
The increasingly frequent use of military-grade components within larger COTS products further reduces development time for new systems. Prime contractors can leverage existing building blocks, mixing and matching different COTS products to create precisely the system needed for the project (military or cilivilan) at hand.
The Prominence of COTS
Today, project managers for military and aerospace systems are often eager to incorporate as many COTS products as they can so they can minimize the costs and slowdowns caused by commissioning technologies.
As of April 2025, the U.S. White House has put out a directive for the Department of Defense (DOD) to focus on the acquisition of COTS solutions. Read the executive order here.
Examples of COTS Products
Many high-performance advanced military systems incorporate modern radar technologies, like those provided by Spotter Global, as well as COTS processors, power supplies, and other electronic components because of their proven high reliability.
previously mentioned, Spotter Global has embraced the Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) model in intrusion detection technology ever since it independently developed the first compact surveillance radar in 2009. These COTS radars were first used in mobile tactical kits to protect warfighters in the field. Today, Spotter Global's radars and other technologies and services are used around the world to protect critical infrastructure sites, military sites, high-value commercial and private properties, and more.
Benefits of Using COTS Radar Systems in Military Applications
Not every military component or system can be COTS. But radars are an excellent candidate for COTS purchasing as utilizing commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) radars in military applications offers significant advantages.
Many of these systems operate in the X-band, a GHz frequency range used by military, government, and civil institutions that is difficult to interfere with. This allows these systems to provide real-time electronic intelligence and situational awareness with high reliability including efficient nuisance alarm filtering.
Such COTS radars are ideal for naval platforms, launchers, mobile missions, temporary outposts, and other military environments where potential signal disruptions pose a serious security risk. These systems, especially those with small form factors and mobile, single-board designs provide real-time electronic intelligence to a wide variety of locations in harsh environments.
The Value of High-Speed Signal Processing Capabilities
High-speed signal processing capabilities play a crucial role in modern military technologies. By enabling rapid analysis, consolidation, and presentation of data, certain COTS technologies enhance, even force multiply, the technologies vital for national security, successful battlefield operations, threat monitoring, and much more.
As worldwide military and civilian industries evolve, the demand for sophisticated signal processing solutions continues to grow, driving innovation in product design, development, energy efficiency, and data processing volume, speed, and accuracy.
There are many pieces at play to make the current and future data processing scene work. Many of those pieces are COTS products. For example, the integration of COTS Digital Signal Processors (DSP) and microprocessors will continue to be pivotal in advancing defense technology. These components are essential for handling the increasingly vast amounts of data that must be passed efficiently through the algorithms and AI tools of these technologies.
Fiber-optic technology, another COTS product, has enhanced data rates and computing power significantly. For most military systems there's no need—as well as no time and no budget—to commission the development of other cabling technology. It would be impractical to do so when the commercial fiber optic market is growing, advancing, and enhancing fiber optic technology all on its own.
Ruggedized VME architectures are another example of COT products that enhance the processing capabilities of military-grade defense systems.
Finally, by employing analog-to-digital converters and a robust backplane, military systems can process electronic intelligence in near real-time, supporting global defense initiatives with the necessary data processing speed.
How Do COTS Radar Systems Protect Against Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)?
Radars serve a vital defense function against hostile UAV operations.
Radar is often used to detect and track unfriendly drone activity—particularly the activity of "dark drones" that cannot be detected or tracked by standard RF sniffers. Radar can be relied upon to track all models of drones, "dark drones" or standard commercial drones, even in low-light conditions or environments obscured by fog, dust, snow, smoke, or rain. Some radars, like those provided by Spotter Global, even come equipped with the software needed to distinguish between detected drones and birds and, by doing so, automatedly reduce nuisance alarms.
Learn more about Spotter Global's AX250 360° Drone Detection Radar.
As drone warfare continues to increase and evolve, radars (including COTS radars) are likely to remain heavily involved in the efforts of militaries to gain the upper hand in a UAV-inclusive armed conflict.
The Challenges of Implementing COTS Radar Systems: Processing Power & DC Power Requirements
Power consumption requirements and data processing abilities vary from radar to radar.
For many systems, it's not just a simple base power requirement. Some radar systems have different power requirements for their different states/processes, with transmitting often being the most power-expensive function with some larger radars requiring as much as 2 megawatts of energy when transmitting.
The E700XD portable Doppler radar, a COTS tactical weather radar in widespread use by the U.S. Military that can be moved from place to place via trucks or other vehicles, for example, requires 10-12 kilowatts during transmission and an average radar-only power requirement of 1.8 kilowatts.
Spotter Global radars, on the other hand, are small enough to be easily carried by a single warfighter. Once connected, all run continuously, transmitting about 1 watt of power and drawing a DC power amount of 5-25 watts, which is approximately the power it takes to run a cellphone or a single incandescent light bulb. In the area of short- to mid-range compact radar, Spotter Global offers the greatest amount of coverage area for the lowest price and power draw.
Advancements in Semiconductor Technologies
Radars rely on semiconductors to transmit and receive the radio waves as well as process the data they receive. No semiconductors; no radars. As a result, slowdowns in the global supply chain of silicon and other metals as well as the advancement of semiconductor technology may have a significant effect on radar innovation, development, and production.
One of the subtler benefits of small form factor radars, apart from their portability and low power draw, is that they require fewer resources to build. Therefore, their dependence on the semiconductor industry is not as pronounced as that of larger radar systems.
Add to that a rugged design that enhances field lifespan and reduces maintenance costs and downtime, and small radar units can be quite the COTS bargain for military customers.
Conclusion
Some production processes for military technology must and will undoubtedly remain in the hands of large defence contractors building customer equipment for the military however, in the interest of low costs, high deployment speed, and product quality, there will always be a place for Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) technologies in military budgets and operations.
Small compact radar systems perform vital functions in protecting warfighters in the field, protecting military bases, and preventing harm to critical infrastructure locations. They will likely continue to play a vital role in national security and international military efforts.