Israeli Firms Step Up Anti-Drone Systems

Israel is one of the latest nations to fly into the expanding skies of the anti-drone industry — recently introducing two systems into the global marketplace. In a nation plagued by terrorist uprisings as well as potential drone attacks against industrial and civilian targets, a duo of domestic firms have stepped up to bolster Israel’s anti-drone capabilities.

Drone Guard

On June 8, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) reported that demand for its Drone Guard package has steadily increased. IAI’s subsidiary, ELTA Systems, developed the multi-platform system.

Originally unveiled at the Seoul ADEX exhibition in October, Drone Guard combines the ELM- 2026 family of short-to-long-range, 3D radars with special drone detection and tracking algorithms. The system employs Electro-Optical sensors for detection and identification, as well as dedicated electronic attack jamming systems for disrupting drone flight.

“We have managed to pack high grade military radar and jamming capabilities into a compact, effective and affordable drone protection system,” IAI Executive VP and ELTA President Nissim Hadas said.

“Since unveiling the Drone Guard system earlier this year we are experiencing steadily growing sales and demand of the system for military, homeland security and civilian protection tasks,” he added.

The company says a drone attack against civilians is now to the point of “when,” not “if.”

“A few weeks ago, a shipment of drones to Gaza equipped with quality cameras suspected of being designed to gather intelligence on IDF forces was stopped from falling into Hamas or other terror groups’ hands,” according to an IAI statement.

“The use of small drones has increased dramatically over the years, making them a potential threat to critical infrastructures, other aircraft and homeland security due to their small size, low speed and low flight altitude,” the company statement continued. “These drones may be used for a number of reasons, including hostile purposes such as intelligence gathering, smuggling, or as weaponized platforms.”

Drone Dome

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems recently released the Drone Dome system — described as a “new end-to-end defense solution designed to detect, identify, track, and neutralize drones.” The system will supposedly jam the signal of large drones on down to micro/nano drones, which the company warns may be used by terrorists. Drone Dome sports a RPS-42 radar, MEOS electro-optical observation mechanism, and a C-Guard RD wide spectrum signal jammer.

“[Drone Dome offers] a fast response time, and causes minimal environmental interruptions — a priority for urban areas with maximum safety to friendly aircraft,” a company official said.