The hottest rifle on the planet right now may be one that doesn’t shoot bullets. With drones becoming a dominant feature of modern warfare, any weapon that can bring them down is in big demand. Among them are man-portable anti-drone guns shaped like boxy rifles that use radio waves to disrupt the transmission link between operator and drone, causing the drone to crash. On the cutting edge are anti-drone guns that use lasers to destroy incoming targets.
The seriousness of the drone threat is reflected in the creation last month of a new office in the Department of Homeland Security that focuses on drone and anti-drone technologies. The new office comes armed with a $115 million purse that will fast track anti-drone tech ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament and the America250 celebration in the USA.
Drones also are becoming more formidable. Ukraine’s new Sahara drone is equipped with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and on-board AI processing that allows it to see through clouds and darkness to quickly generate images even under bad weather conditions and without having to fly directly over the target.
While anti-drone guns look like something out of science fiction, a number have been tested in combat conditions. Among them is the DroneGun Tactical made by an Australian company called DroneShield. The DroneGun Tactical has reportedly been used in the war in Ukraine. The DroneGun Tactical uses concentrated radio wave energy to disrupt the control, navigation and video of multiple drones simultaneously, an attack that causes the drones to crash or just land.
Similarly, an anti-drone gun called the Dronaam made by Gurutvaa Systems reportedly is being used by the Indian Army. The Dronaam made its reputation by neutralizing 55 percent of the drones it encountered during India’s recent conflict with Pakistan in the Punjab.
Among the most sophisticated C-UAS (Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems) tools is the Drone Hunter XD made by Dymstec of South Korea which uses an AI-driven multi-sensor tech to speed identification of drones, minimize false alarms and foster a rapid reaction time. The Drone Hunter XD uses an open architecture plan for easy integration into third-party systems. The Drone Hunter XD has a range of around two kilometers.
Meanwhile, other variants of anti-drone rifles are already reportedly available from Chinese companies via TikTok, pitched for use in such settings such as mining areas, oil depots, farms, and airport security. It’s not hard to imagine a Paladin-like mercenary figure reminiscent of the 1960s TV show “Have Gun-Will Travel” armed in a more modern setting with an anti-drone rifle.
Laser rifles may be the future of anti-drone guns. A French company called Compagnie Industrielle des Laser (CILAS) is developing its Helma-LP laser rifle in response to a perceived need for a portable weapon, powered by a backpack of batteries, which can discreetly disable drones in close settings like inside a stadium without the potential for widespread disruption to electronics of RF-based weapons. A laser can quickly heat a drone to make it inoperable. A laser weapon also is seen as a counter to drone operators who may use avoidance techniques like flying in a “run silent” mode that mutes transmissions and may rely on old school dead reckoning navigation. A larger version of the CILAS laser weapon was deployed during the Paris Olympics.
But even for quick-shot laser rifles, targeting fast-moving drones may be a challenge. There are also issues relating to safety concerns like missed shots that may cause collateral damage. And unlike drones defeated by RF energy waves, drones hit by lasers may spin off to cause unwanted damage when they crash or disintegrate into bits.
On the other hand, laser weapons in general are appealing to individual nations because they can control the supply chain, meaning they don’t have to be dependent on a foreign country for anti-drone weapons systems. Ukraine’s dependence on the Patriot missile defense system from the USA is a prime example of this situation. Somewhat ironically, laser weapons can trace their tech lineage to the Star Wars laser-inspired, space-based missile defense system proposed by President Ronald Reagan back in the 20th century as a counter to the Soviet Union.
Anti-drone devices like laser rifles won’t be a silver bullet on their own and will likely be part of a layered drone defense scheme if only because of the sheer number of drones that may be deployed in a swarm attack by an adversary.
But you can hear it in your head already: Pew pew.
