Skip to content
Defdex

Capability · Air and missile defense

Counter-UAS

Detecting, identifying and defeating uncrewed aircraft, from small quadcopters to one-way attack drones.

FieldedPart of Air and missile defense
Builder links
25
Here and in 5 below
Products
10
Here and in 5 below
Input links
3
Here and in 5 below
Sources
17
Cited on this page
News
33
Here and in 5 below

Assessment

Case for · why it matters

Cheap drones now force defenders to spend far more per engagement than the attacker spends per drone, and the U.S. has stood up a dedicated task force and multi-billion-dollar contract vehicles to buy layered defenses. Officials say demand for counter-drone equipment has outpaced supply.

Case against · the skeptic’s view

Most of the new money is ceilings rather than obligations: less than 1% of a $4.15B IDIQ was obligated at award, pending Congress. Short-range effectors also depend on early detection, stable tracks and deep magazines to survive saturation attacks.

Who builds it13

Counter-UAS: organizations by maturity

  1. Fielded0

    • —

  2. Limited fielding0

    • —

  3. Prototype0

    • —

  4. Development0

    • —

  5. Research0

    • —

  6. Concept0

    • —

Maturity not yet rated: Aerlijn, Airspeed Electronics, Alpine Eagle, ALX Systems, Earendil Robotics, Ground A, Herakles Defense, IG Defence, Iris Lab, Marduk Technologies, Scaled Autonomy, Swatter Company, Talon Avionics

Placed by each organization's own maturity for this technology; TRL is self-reported or estimated, see confidence.

Breakdown5

Products10

All 10 in products →

Freedom Eagle-1

AeroVironment

Solid-rocket counter-UAS missile (originally BlueHalo) for Group 2-3 drones with RF seeker and 20 lb warhead; Army NGCM winner.

Prototype

Gobi

Harmattan AI

Autonomous interceptor designed to counter small uncrewed aircraft.

Maturity not rated

MOTH

Heaviside Industries

Body-worn passive RF spectrum analyzer (under one pound) that alerts soldiers to nearby drone, radio and other emitters, scans 5 MHz to 6 GHz and integrates with ATAK. Bought by the U.S. Army under a $99M IDIQ; initial deliveries expected in FY2027.

Limited fielding

Rift Alpha

Askari Defense

Hand-, tube- or box-launched autonomous, computer-vision-guided hit-to-kill interceptor for Group 1-2 drones; about 2 km range.

Limited fielding

Rift Bravo

Askari Defense

Smaller foldable hand-launched interceptor for Group 1 drones (about 1 km range), in development under R&D contracts.

Development

News19

Open in the news feed →

Sources17

Profile4

  1. 1
    NewsPentagon task force, Army announce billions in counter-drone tech awards

    DefenseScoop · Sep 29, 2026 · Supports Technology

    “Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, director of JIATF-401, said, noting that demand for counter-drone technology has outpaced available supply.”
  2. 2
    NewsUS tests new $2,500 kinetic interceptor missile capable of destroying drones

    Interesting Engineering · Sep 19, 2026 · Supports Technology

    “That could help address the cost imbalance created when militaries use missiles priced above $100,000 to destroy drones worth only a few hundred dollars.”
  3. 3
    NewsAeroVironment's Freedom Eagle-1 Picked As New Counter-Drone Interceptor For U.S. Army

    The War Zone · Oct 22, 2025 · Supports Technology

    “Raytheon had also competed for the NGCM deal with a version of its combat-proven Coyote counter-drone interceptor , Block 2 variants of which are already in Army service.”
  4. 4
    NewsU.S. Tests Perseus Harpe Interceptor for Low Collateral Defense Against Small Drone Attacks

    Army Recognition · Supports Technology

    “The main constraint remains the quality of initial detection. A short-range system depends on sufficiently early warning, a stable track and enough interceptors to respond to multiple or saturation attacks.”

Technologies13

  1. 5
    CompanyAerlijn – Counter-UAS Drone Systems

    Aerlijn · Supports Organization technology

    “Aerlijn develops high-speed counter-UAS interceptor drones battle-proven in Ukraine. Designed for rapid deployment, precision interception, and operational reliability.”
  2. 6
    CompanyIG Defence — Built in Bharat. Built for Bharat. Ready for the World.

    IG Defence · Supports Organization technology

    “India's premier indigenous defence technology manufacturer. Combat-ready FPV strike drones, counter-UAS systems, ISR platforms and AI simulators. Built in Bharat. Ready for the World.”
  3. 7
    CompanyIris Lab - Next-gen CUAS solutions

    Iris Lab · Supports Organization technology

    “Iris Lab develops counter-UAS laser systems, designed and built in Europe for mass-deployments.”
  4. 8
    CompanyMarduk Technologies

    Marduk Technologies · Supports Organization technology

    “Developing electro-optical systems for drone detection, classification, and targeting.”
  5. 9
    CompanyScaled Autonomy

    Scaled Autonomy · Supports Organization technology

    “Scaled Autonomy develops AI autopilot software for autonomous interceptor drones and scalable counter-UAS systems. Software-defined air defense against low-cost FPV drone threats. Built in the Netherlands for European defense.”
  6. 10
    CompanySwatter: Advanced Defense & Security Solutions

    Swatter Company · Supports Organization technology

    “Specializes in the development of cutting-edge Defense & Security solutions. Our main focus is anti-drone technology and customized security solutions designed to protect assets, infrastructure and personnel.”
  7. 11
    CompanyTalon Avionics Inc. | Counter-UAS Defense Systems

    Talon Avionics · Supports Organization technology

    “Talon Avionics builds software-defined, mobile counter-UAS systems. The SECTR platform neutralizes low-cost drones using kinetic, non-explosive methods with low collateral risk.”
  8. 12
    CompanyAirspeed | Acoustic Drone Detection

    Airspeed Electronics · Supports Organization technology

    “Airspeed designs cutting-edge acoustic machine listening systems for airspace surveillance and drone detection”
  9. 13
    CompanyAirborne Counter-UAS Solutions | Alpine Eagle

    Alpine Eagle · Supports Organization technology

    “Alpine Eagle builds advanced airborne counter-drone solutions for defence and security applications. Learn more about Alpine Eagle.”
  10. 14
    CompanyGround A | Laser-Based Drone Defence from Germany

    Ground A · Supports Organization technology

    “Ground A develops the GA 1000 - a mobile, AI-driven laser system that detects, tracks and neutralises drones. Counter-UAS technology made in Germany.”
  11. 15
    CompanyHERAKLES — Autonomous Counter-Drone Interceptor

    Herakles Defense · Supports Organization technology

    “HERAKLES Defense — Munich-based defense-tech startup building the autonomous Counter-UAS interceptor against Class I FPV kamikaze drones. Fully autonomous intercept demonstrated. Drone vs drone. Made in Europe.”
  12. 16
    CompanyY Combinator: James Walton founder evidence

    Y Combinator · Supports Organization technology

    “Earendil Robotics builds cUAS solutions”
  13. 17
    CompanyALX Systems — Sovereign drones for defence & civil protection

    ALX Systems · Supports Organization technology

    “100% sovereign autonomous drones designed, engineered and built in-house: deep-strike loitering munitions, counter-UAS, fire detection and site protection.”

Each fact on this page is attached to the sources that support it. Archived copies are linked when we keep one.