Cellebrite completed its acquisition of SCG Canada, Inc., a leading provider of hand-held UAV forensics solutions. The addition of SCG’s portable, battery-powered drone forensic data extraction capability extends Cellebrite’s AI-powered platform to one of the fastest-growing data sources in defense and public safety.

When we announced the agreement on February 11, we shared our conviction that drone data could emerge as the second most valuable forensic data source behind mobile devices. Events since that announcement have only reinforced the urgency.

The Demand Signal is Clear

The global drone market is projected to reach $53.45 billion in 2026, growing at 20% annually. But it is the threat side of that growth that makes drone forensics essential. In the U.S. alone, more than 1.2 million drone violations were recorded in 2025, putting lives at risk at airports, public events and critical infrastructure.

Recent events underscore how rapidly the threat is escalating. In late 2024, unexplained drone activity across New Jersey triggered weeks of public alarm, federal investigations and temporary flight restrictions, exposing significant gaps in the nation’s ability to detect, identify and respond to unauthorized UAV operations. Recently, the FAA shut down all flights to and from El Paso International Airport after a reported cartel drone incursion near the U.S.-Mexico border, disrupting commercial aviation at one of the country’s busiest border airports.

On the battlefield, the picture is even starker. In the Ukraine-Russia conflict, drones now account for an estimated 70 to 80 percent of combat casualties on both sides, fundamentally reshaping modern warfare and driving militaries worldwide to invest billions in expanding their drone and counter-drone programs.

A Legislative Tailwind

In December 2025, Congress passed the SAFER SKIES Act as part of the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act. For the first time, the law expands counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) authority to state, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement and correctional agencies, giving them a defined path to detect, track and, where authorized, disable threatening drones. As more drones are surveilled, intercepted and mitigated under this new framework, the need for drone forensics grows in lockstep. Understanding who was operating a drone, where it flew, what data it collected and what payloads it carried will be critical to building cases and generating actionable intelligence.

Why SCG and Why Now

SCG’s solution addresses a real operational gap. Cellebrite has long been the standard in digital forensics from the lab to the courtroom. SCG brings that capability forward to the field with a highly portable, hand-held, battery-powered device that enables rapid extraction, decoding and visualization of drone data at the point of collection. The synergy is straightforward: Cellebrite’s strength in lab-grade forensic analysis, combined with SCG’s ability to capture and process drone data in the field, gives customers a continuous forensic chain from point of seizure through to evidentiary review.

This matters across every segment we serve. In defense and intelligence, where both Cellebrite and SCG already support customers across Five Eyes nations, speed at the point of collection can save lives. In law enforcement, where commercially available drones are increasingly used to smuggle contraband across borders and into correctional facilities, disrupt air travel and surveil public infrastructure, the ability to extract forensic data from seized drones opens a new and rich evidentiary data source. And those millions of drone data points, flight logs, video files, cell tower connections and more, create an additional data source to help power Cellebrite AI, driving better intelligence outcomes for customers.

We are excited to welcome SCG to Cellebrite and are already at work on what comes next. Stay tuned for more information on new product introductions and availability.

Want to learn more? Get in touch!  

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