Anti-drone (Counter-drone)

Countless awe-inspiring stories of courage and grit have come out of Ukraine in the past few days. One such act of bravery was highlighted by Liubov Tsybulska, an advisor to the Ukrainian government, over the weekend. Tsybulska said a woman in Kyiv had taken down a Russian drone by slinging a jar of cucumbers at it from her balcony. “How did they expect to occupy this country?” she asked her followers on Twitter.

US defense and security company Leidos Inc. has won a $26 million Air Force Research Laboratory contract to deliver its next-generation counter-drone system designed to neutralize attacks by both individual and swarming UAVs.

In another attempt to battle the spreading problem of drones transporting contraband to prison inmates around the globe, France is soliciting bids from companies to install anti-UAV defense systems in many of the nation’s penitentiaries.

Epirus, a Los Angeles headquartered counter-electronics startup, has scooped up a cool $200 million in funding to develop countermeasures against potential drone attacks in the US.

In a certain sign of a maturing sector, the heavy investment into manufacturers of all types of drones over the past decade is slowly but perceptibly shifting towards companies developing security systems to detect, identify, and if need be, neutralize the very UAVs earlier funding helped proliferate.

Israeli counter-drone company D-Fend Solutions says its tech successfully detected and removed a rogue UAV that had violated restricted airspace during an outdoor mass in Slovakia by Pope Francis.

Citadel Defense, a San Diego-based developer of AI-powered counter-drone solutions, has been acquired by BlueHalo, a mid-market defense innovation company backed by Arlington Capital Partners’ $1.7 billion investment fund.

Counter-drone specialist Citadel Defense has scored another in a growing list of business successes by landing a $6 million contract through the US Department of Defense (DOD). The coup comes less than a month after the San Diego-based company signed a $4 million deal for a similar anti-drone system.

The US Air Force considers its microwave-shooting weapon against large swarms of enemy drones so successful that it’s now doubling down to enhance it further. So in addition to its so-called THOR anti-drone system, the Air Force is out to develop an electronic, craft-smashing hammer to complete the thematic program.

Well, well. We’ve never seen a listing like this before on Amazon. But sure enough, you can buy a drone-jamming gun on Amazon. And while we believe it would be legal to own, we have significant doubts about your ability to legally use it, at least in many jurisdictions.

As India prepares to celebrate its 75^th Independence Day on August 15, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has instructed all security agencies to be extra vigilant about a possible drone attack. Meanwhile, Delhi’s Red Fort, from where the prime minister of India hoists the national flag and addresses the public, will receive “360-degree” anti-drone coverage in the form of rooftop watchers and skilled marksmen authorized to shoot down any drone approaching the restricted airspace.

We’ve posted before on how the demand for drone countermeasures is growing. And now, more proof: Citadel Defense locked down a $4 million contract in June to an undisclosed government customer.

France’s military successfully completed advanced testing of its anti-drone laser weaponry, and said the country plans on deploying the tech around the country within a couple years. Officials said they hoped to have drone-blasting energy defense systems up and running in time for the France-hosted World Cup of Rugby in 2023, and the Paris Summer Olympics the following year.

The US Air Force is clearly serious about combatting the growing threat of small drones deployed for terrorism or hostile military purposes. It has not only developed a weapon capable of taking out scores of drones simultaneously, but it has even named that mighty asset after a fearsome, hammer-wielding Norse god-dash-superhero.

Imagine a formation of unidentified drones brazenly violating banned airspace over a major international event just as dignitaries arrive by helicopter to kick things off. The security threat created would be off the charts – unless you had an enormous high-tech gun capable of picking drones off from far away. That’s exactly what happened, and without fuss, at the opening ceremony of the 30th Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines in 2019.

With an ever-increasing number of drones being flown around the world, the business of detecting drones has been growing at a similar pace. And now, one of the leading drone detection companies, Dedrone, has announced it has surpassed 1,000 sales of sensors for drone detection.

Airports, for obvious reasons, would like to know if there are drones anywhere nearby that could potentially interfere with crewed aviation operations. So not surprisingly, an increasing number of airports are testing out various drone detection and mitigation technologies. The one we’re writing about today is taking place at the Ottawa International Airport (YOW) and involves some pretty cool tech.

Well, you don’t see this every day: A drone gun, in the wild.

The US military has come up with a new, highly effective weapon for zapping enemy drones out of the skies. Pardon the wonky, technical terminology, but what the Mobile Force Protection (MFP) system does is hock a big loogie of plastic pink stuff that looks suspiciously like Silly String at targeted craft, and down goes Frazier.

Planning on doing some drone flying near the G7 Summit? We’ve got some advice: Don’t even think about it.

Counter drone systems specialist Citadel Defense is vastly enlarging its San Diego presence. The company has unveiled a large array of new facilities – including its headquarters building – as a means of keeping pace with booming demand.