Anti-drone (Counter-drone)

The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) will be deploying specialized drones to protect next month’s Commonwealth Games against potential Russian attacks, in what officials fear could be retaliatory action against London’s staunch support of Ukraine amid Moscow’s continuing invasion.

Colorado-based anti-drone tech specialist Liteye has won a $12.1 million contract from the US Department of Defense (DoD) to provide an array of platforms enabling multi-domain air and ground security missions both domestically and abroad.

DJI’s status as by far the biggest seller of consumer and enterprise drones on the planet means its UAVs are logically flown most by Ukraine pilots battling Russian invaders. But might that domination change if those operators turn to what they consider safer gear?

Germany-based Nocturne Drones, which specializes in putting together dazzling drone light shows for customers such as E.ON, Xbox, and the state of Saxony-Anhalt on the Day of German Unity, is announcing the formation of a new business unit to protect its events from unauthorized aircraft. Joining forces with San Francisco’s Dedrone, the company is establishing Nocturne Drone Defense Systems to integrate drone detection systems inside its drone show control vehicles.

The Biden administration has asked Congress to dramatically expand the number of government and public agencies – from federal to local administrations ­– that are legally permitted to identify, track, and disable potentially malicious drones flying in US airspaces.

A drone created by Aleksey Zaitsevsky shows what you get when you combine a racing drone and a net gun – a super fast drone with the sole purpose of catching other drones in its net. It’s insane to watch it fly.

Counter-drone specialist Dedrone has launched a portable drone detection unit, DedroneRapidResponse, that can identify, locate, and analyze nearly 300 drone types. The company says it has developed this sophisticated technology following the requirements presented by St. Petersburg Police Department for the 2022 Firestone Grand Prix, an IndyCar motor race.

Counter-drone specialist DroneShield is joining forces with location intelligence firm Nearmap to make its DroneSentry-C2 Command-and-Control software more precise than ever. An upgrade adds a layer of high-resolution aerial imagery to DroneShield’s existing mapping service, so users have more precise information while responding to drone threats.

Radar platform specialist Echodyne on Tuesday announced delivery of its metamaterial detection systems providing enhanced ground and aerial security and defense capabilities to the US Army as part of a multi-year program supply contract.

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.