Strong demand leads DroneDefender makers to release new version

After selling more than 300 units of a counter-drone device originally designed to be a prototype only, Battelle has announced a new version of its DroneDefender system. The new version builds on the previous design and includes a handheld, man-portable set-up similar to a long-rifle firearm. By pointing the unit’s tip at an intrusive or nefarious small unmanned aircraft vehicle, a DroneDefender V2 user can disrupt the suspicious drone’s remote control link or the GPS receiver.

The unit is effective up to 400 meters and requires the user to point at a drone and then lead the drone to the ground by keeping it within the sight picture—30 degrees—of a scope mounted on the top of the unit. At 15 pounds, the system is portable and can run for two hours.

Although the system is not currently for sale or available to entities outside of the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security, the demand by the DOD and DHS has been strong enough for Battelle to produce a more refined option.

“Our original solution was a rapid prototype solution. It was made with commercial off the shelf part and delivered a needed solutions to the field quickly,” said Dan Stamm, manager of Battelle’s Counter UAS program. “That bought us time to develop a custom design based, in large part, on user input and feedback from the field.”

Alex Morrow, co-developer of the DroneDefender, said that adversaries continue to rapidly evolve their drone threats, “including shifting to the newest drones available,” he said. Morrow and his team are constantly updating their system to handle threats posed by the newest drones, he added.