Tel Aviv. The US Special Forces are beginning to use an Israeli developed “killer” drone that neutralizes enemy drones.
Following a joint R&D program led by the Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D) in the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMoD) together with Israeli company Xtend, and the Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office (CTTSO) of the US Department of Defense (DoD), an operational pilot program has been launched employing Skylord drones in the defense of US military forces.
The program has produced a drone system with a remote immersive interface that protects troops from various inbound aerial threats – particularly drones.
As a result of the close cooperation between the institutions involved, the system has been developed in accordance with concrete operational requirements. As such, following a year of R&D and various tests, the CTTSO decided to launch an operational pilot program, testing and validating the system’s capabilities in the field. As part of the pilot program, several dozen Skylord systems will be employed by US troops.
Ido Baron, VP, Business development of Xtend, the Israeli company that has redeveloped the special drone, told Raksha Anirveda that by using an Augmented Reality (AR) device and single handed controller, a soldier can easily operate the Skylord system to control the drone and perform complex tasks remotely, with great ease and precision.
Its interface enables the operator to immersively “step into” a remote reality and engage targets effectively yet safely.
The drone weighs 900 gram and has a max speed of 150 km/ h. To operate this drone a soldier needs minimal training and no prior expertise. He explained that the drone carries a very light weight net. “Our drone flies exactly over the enemy drone release the new and it kills the props.”
He explained that a unit can use data from a sensor used by drone killing systems that are in uses “this data will lead our drone to the vicinity of the hostile drone and then the soldier with a small toll like a simple joy stick archives the kill.”
The Xtend VP added that the drone was designed and manufactured by the company. “We have proved its capabilities in Israel,” Baron said.
This operational pilot program is the first step towards the widespread deployment of smart systems to US military forces, enabling them to perform complex tasks in the modern battlefield, while minimizing risk.
It is also one of the most significant and successful areas of cooperation between the DDR&D and its American partners, highlighting the crucial and extraordinary relations between our respective defense establishments.
Head of the UAV Branch in the DDR&D of the Ministry of Defense, Lt. Col. Menachem Landau said: This joint activity implements novel technological capability taken from the field of AR, and from the world of gaming.
It enables the troops of both nations to employ intuitive, battle-proven and precise systems follow a minimal training period, and to engage hostile flying objects such as drones. “We look forward to expanding our collaboration with our partners in the CTTSO of the US Department of Defense, in developing advanced technology to protect troops and enhance operational capabilities.”
Xtend CEO, Aviv Shapira said that The Skylord is one of the world’s most advanced C-UAS Hard Kill solution, and the XTEND team is thrilled at the opportunity to deploy our systems in operational missions – and to protect the lives of both US/IDF combat soldier.”
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist
