The increasingly popular niche that is anti-drone warfare has Ohio-based Battelle issuing a redesign of their Drone Defender directed-energy weapon.
The non-lethal gun uses radio control frequency disruption technologies to scramble the data connection between the drone user and said pesky drone itself. Introduced back in 2015, Battelle says they have sold 300 of the original drone busters and they have shown up in snapshots from sandy places abroad as well as in training footage from the Department of Defense who are issuing them in greater numbers.
The revamped Drone Defender V2 C-UAS Device will scramble the 2.54 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical radio (ISM) bands used in most hobby drones and similar RC vehicles as well as GPS waves for independently controlled devices. The 30-degree cone travels out to 400 meters and achieves a soft kill on the drone, allowing it to be captured and turned over for intelligence gathering purposes on just who might have been on the other side.
Downsides of the unmanned aircraft system countermeasure system include a 15-pound weight (as much as a light machine gun), a two-hour battery life, and a downright weird look that is sure to draw attention from snipers.
Here is the cautionary tale from Battelle:
This device has not been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission before it can be marketed to non-Federal users. This device is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased in the United States, other than to the United States government and its agencies, until authorization is obtained. Under current law, the DroneDefender device may be used in the United States only by authorized employees of the Federal government and its agencies, and use by others may be illegal.
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