By now, it should come as no surprise that military forces around the world rely on drones for many daily defensive and offensive missions. Drones can complete missions at a lower cost than most military machines. At the same time, these drones protect a military unit’s most valuable assets, human operatives. While the drones for commercial, recreational, and civilian use are growing exponentially, the military still represents the largest sector in the drone industry.

But the landscape of military drones has changed greatly over the last few years. At one time, military drones were tools only available to countries with large enough budgets to support them. Today, almost anyone can afford to use a drone against their enemies. Because of this military superpowers like the United States, and their allies, have had to invest in anti-drone technology as well. On June 21, 2021, the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced that they had reached a milestone in handling enemy drone warfare.

For some time now, the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the Israeli Air Force have been working with the Haifa based electronics defense firm, Elbit Systems. Founded in 1996 by Michael Federmann, this is not the first time Elbit has been contracted by the Israeli Ministry of Defense. Elbit’s range of Hermes drones has long been staples for Israel’s military operations. But for this contract, the Israeli Ministry of Defense was looking for a way to eliminate enemy drones.

Israel already uses Drone Dome to counter enemy drones. Built by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, also based out of Haifa, Drone Dome is a ground system that uses radar to identify unauthorized drones. If Drone Dome intercepts such a drone, it then shoots it out of the sky with a laser. It is a highly successful anti-drone device, but Israel is always looking to expand their military technologies. With Elbit, the Israel Ministry of Defense now has an airborne anti-drone laser device.

Unlike the bulky Drone Dome, Elbit’s High-Power Laser Weapon System can be attached to an aircraft. This positions the weapon to better intercept enemy drones. In a first ever test of an aerial anti-drone laser system, Elbit proved that their model goes above and beyond expectations. In the late morning of the 21st, a small plane with 3 crew members took off from an airstrip. Attached to the plane was the High-Power Laser Weapon System. Soon after, 3 drones were launched from different locations flying over a body of water. The manned plane, along with the Elbit laser system, successfully intercepted and shot down all 3 drones.

For a country like Israel that is under constant threat, it is crucial to have the best drone defensive and offensive systems. Israel Defense Minister Benny Gantz said, “The laser system will add a new layer of protection at greater ranges and in facing a variety of threats, securing the State of Israel while saving the costs of interception.” For now, the Elbit system is used with a manned airplane, but it is possible to see it being applied to an unmanned system in the future. Without a doubt, an aerial anti-drone system will become a very attractive piece of technology for other world military forces.

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