It looks like the Russian homing rocket that is designed to knock out drones isn’t alone. A Canadian company, AerialX, also has a similar anti-drone drone that does the same and it is called DroneBullet – a name no doubt inspired by the shape of the drone and also what it is designed to do. Looking like an oversized projectile outfitted with a four-rotor setup, DroneBullet is described by the company as a “hybrid between a missile and a quadcopter.”
Though similar in function as the unnamed anti-drone homing rocket we saw a couple of weeks ago, AerialX patent-pending counter drone solution is clearly more sophisticated (read: expensive). While it is not known how fast it can launch off from the hand to the air, we read that can reach speeds of up to 350 km/h (217 mph) in a dive attack and has a range of up to 4 kilometers (2.5 miles).
As with the Russian’s homing rocket, it is designed to lock onto the rogue drone and knock it down. Onboard computer vision and deep learning, along with “various neural net-based components” enable it to determine optimal trajectory and the flight path it required to take to intercept the threat. The threat is, of course, determine by a human, but that’s all a human needs to do and the DroneBullet will take it from there.
In addition to tracking its target autonomously, DroneBullet is able to work out where to hit its target based on the speed and the type of drones. We may not know how much it costs, but all those tech it possess does make this mostly one-time use counter-drone drone expensive. Then again, I am sure its target markets, namely military and law enforcement, wouldn’t have an issue with money. That said, you won’t be able to buy it as a consumer even if you have the dole to drop.
Anyways, since it is designed to take out drone with impact, it is probably a one-time use counter-drone weapon. However, in the event that it managed to survive an impact, it can be re-calibrated and put into action again. DroneBullet can work as a standalone system or with third-party detection systems such as radar or vision-based systems to deploy autonomously.
Images: AerialX.
Source: Digital Trends.
