DroneDefender Technology

As small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) became more ubiquitous, Battelle recognized that unidentified UAS pose a serious risk to government agencies and officials. The revolutionary DroneDefender device was developed to counter these threats.

Traditional defense mechanisms against UAS, such as shooting them down, were not tenable within the U.S. under current regulations. Other potential solutions posed safety risks and the proliferation of drones overseas demanded an effective and easy-to-deploy solution.

The original version of DroneDefender was created using rapid prototyping, with commercial-off-the-shelf parts, and delivered to the field quickly. 

The DroneDefender counter-UAS device coupled innovative technology with efficient design for safe, reliable, proven security from airborne threats. It quickly disrupted an adversary's control of the drone, neutralized it so that no remote action, including detonation, could occur, minimizing drone damage and risk to public safety.

The DroneDefender, which utilized a non-kinetic solution to defend airspace against UAS, such as quadcopters and hexacopters, operated without compromising safety or risking collateral damage. The easy-to-use, lightweight, point-and-shoot system required no extensive training.

This innovative system provided instantaneous disruption of unwanted UAS using two different defenses:

• Remote control drone disruption
• GPS disruption

 Features include:

• 2 continuous hours of operation
• 15 pounds
• Multiple antennas
• Disruption electronics
• Battery operated

It is part of Battelle’s mission to develop technology and to ensure it is commercialized and deployed as quickly as possible to help society.

Dedrone purchased the DroneDefender technology from Battelle in 2019 to provide a solution to protect critical assets and people from drone threats.

Battelle’s DroneDefender® Counter-UAS Device was bestowed a  2017 Best of What’s New award in the security category. 

“This sale is a success story for both Battelle and Dedrone,” said Battelle President and CEO Lou Von Thaer. “The Drone Defender was an innovation developed by our researchers to meet an urgent need. We developed it and delivered it to our customers rapidly, where it was deployed in the field proving very effective in countering nefarious drone activity. We are proud to see it being integrated into Dedrone’s systems.”