Iran Reveals Anti-Drone Tech

Iranian media unveiled an anti-drone rifle during military exercises. According to reports, the rifle is actually a portable electronic antenna capable of locking onto and disrupting the operations of remotely controlled drones, even possibly hijacking control of the aircraft and forcing it to land. It currently seems as if the tool is intended for smaller hobby drones, rather than military grade armed drones, such as the Predator and Reaper drones in the U.S. military’s arsenal.

The Cipher Take: Iran’s potential counter-drone technology is not publicly well documented, but the anti-drone antenna portrayed in Iranian media resembles similar tech in the United States. For example, the DroneDefender anti-drone rifle was deployed in Iraq earlier this year, and is capable of radio frequency and GPS jamming to either cut the command and control link between the drone and the remote operator or hinder the drone’s automated navigation capabilities. As the Pentagon continues to warn of the dangers of insurgent use of small hobby drones for scouting troop locations, targeting for artillery, and even as mobile carriers of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), private industry has sought interdiction solutions ranging from signals jamming and hacking, to kinetic methods like directed energy, surface-to-air missiles, and net guns.

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