As drone threats continue to be a major emerging issue, including small drone swarms, Israel’s Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Iron Drone announced on June 29 “that they have entered a collaboration agreement for the integration of interception capabilities into IAI’s advanced anti-drone system, Drone Guard.”

“The collaboration agreement and the integration of interception capabilities in IAI’s Drone Guard create a specialized solution for a broad range of threats. Drone Guard represents Elta’s extensive know-how and experience in radars, intelligence, and AI combined with Iron Drone’s unique kinetic interception solution,” said Zvi Yarom, General Manager of ELTA’s Land Systems Division.

The companies say that “the intercepting drone can be launched during day or night from a docking station that hosts several ready-to-use drones. Several intercepting drones can be launched simultaneously to address several targets or swarms.”

IAI’s ELTA Systems, which developed Drone Guard anti-drone systems, has already sold over 100 units that detect, identify, and disrupt the operation of malicious drones. (see the video)

“ELTA’s collaboration with Iron Drone is part of its strategy to collaborate with startups to leverage their innovative technologies for their existing systems to improve performance. ELTA is a global leader in remote sensing and radar systems. Its product portfolio includes mission aircraft, national cybersecurity administration, ground robotic systems, anti-drone systems, homeland defense systems, etc.” This aids the Israeli start-up defense tech market which is part of Israel’s overall ecosystem of innovation. Israel has three large defense companies but around 120 other companies sell worldwide that are part of Israel’s defense tech revolution. Israel is on the cutting edge of counter-drone technology and has been a world leader in UAV technology since the 1980s when it pioneered the Scout and other drones.

Matan Melamed, CEO of Iron Drone, said, “The strategic collaboration with IAI’s ELTA Systems is a significant milestone for Iron Drone. The combination of Drone Guard’s advanced capabilities with Iron Drone’s steering and homing excellence result in a significant business and technological venture.”

Yarom added, “The integration has been tried, proven, and demonstrated in several pilots and is now being marketed to customers. Drone Guard is one in a full suite of solutions offered by ELTA’s Land Systems facility under construction in Beer Sheba at an investment of over NIS 100 million. It will help IAI build innovative technological infrastructures and implement R&D for novel land applications.”

Drone Guard is a system that can detect drones. “The intercepting drone is launched and steered to the target with the help of the radar. It uses sensors and computer vision to home and lock on the target up to the physical hit of the attacker and its neutralization. The entire process is autonomous, requiring no human intervention.”