Israel Shipyards Ltd, the defense giant known primarily for producing vessels for the Israel Navy, has recently entered the drone interception market by unveiling a subsidiary, AREONOUS.
AREONOUS, established a year ago, operates in what is arguably the defense sector's hottest field, and already employs around 40 people, some of whom are veterans of other defense industries.
The company has already developed a command-and-control system and an interceptor drone. The system can reportedly operate effectively at both close and long ranges. It can, for example, be operated at a range of 50 km to protect airports and bases, or down to 200 meters as a soldier-portable system to protect operating forces.
The use of an interceptor drone allows the system to contend with FPV drones, which cannot be electronically jammed. Last week, the system was demonstrated to the IDF using a radar from the US company Echodyne, as well as a camera from Controp - a combination intended to enable rapid detection of tiny, maneuvering targets.
The soldier-portable system weighs 13 kg, is equipped with LiDAR (laser radar) sensors from the Israeli company Innoviz, and launches nets from the ground in which the drones become entangled and fall to the earth. Its operation is automatic.
The price: in the range of tens of thousands of dollars.
Meir Ben Shayah, CEO of the company, told Walla that "in the field of drone interception, there is no 'silver bullet.' There is no single technology that is the absolute solution, and integration is mandatory. Our system is open to integrating different sensors and effectors according to customer requirements and the threats they face. We can integrate laser and other interception solutions within just two weeks."
The company has already lined up paying customers and is beginning to implement its solutions to protect the warships manufactured by Israel Shipyards.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted last week that Israel will be the first country in the world to solve the global issue of explosive drones during a speech at the Federation of Local Authorities in Israel Conference.
Goldie Katz contributed to this report.