The fight against drones reaches a milestone with the A1‒Falke, an interceptor capable of capturing its targets in a net. Already adopted by the German army and police, it promises more precise and less risky air defense.
Russian drone incursions into NATO airspace have become a frequent reality since the start of the war in Ukraine.
To avoid direct military escalation or collateral damage caused by debris, member countries often prefer to take off their fighter planes to monitor the situation rather than systematically shoot down these planes, thus relying on a strategy of vigilance reinforced.
Two companies, however, have found a solution to capture these devices: a drone which, using radar, hunts down intruders by capturing them in a net. The objective being to secure the machine in order to be able to examine it afterwards.
The German company Argus Interception has thus developed, in cooperation with the American company Echodyne, the A1-Falke interceptor drone, designed specifically for the fight against drones.
Intended for environments where a kill shot is not an option
Indeed, instead of firing munitions or operating as a suicide drone, the A1-Falke fires nets to entangle the rotors of the intruder drone.
“On a training ground near Hamburg, an enemy drone flew over the meadow before being chased by the A1-Falke. After a short chase, a noise similar to a gunshot was heard and the machine found itself in the nets of the hunting drone,” reported this June 1euronews, who attended an exclusive presentation for a select group of journalists.
Once the enemy drone has been captured, the A1-Falke is able to transport it and gently place it in a secure area.
This is a system designed in particular for environments where a kill shot is not an option, such as near airports, critical infrastructure or in an urban environment, Sven Steingräber, co-founder of Argus Interception, explained to the media.
While artificial intelligence serves as an assistant, the interceptor drone is piloted from the ground by an operator.
In detail of the tasks, Echodyne monitors the airspace with its radars and detects suspicious flying objects, while the Argus A1-Falke interceptor drone takes care of the interception mission.
According to the German aviation and military media Defense technologythe A1-Falke can carry up to three nets, measuring 4 x 4 or 7 x 7 meters. It weighs less than 25 kg and can carry drones weighing up to 15 kg. It has a flight autonomy of 30 minutes and a detection range of 5 km. His interception rate would be greater than 95%.
It was acquired and put into service by the German armed forces, according to the same source.
D’après le site spécialisé Aerospace & Defencethe German Federal Police has also equipped its anti-drone defense unit with the same system, which could become a surgical tool deployed to NATO countries to handle low-altitude intrusions without triggering an international crisis.
