On Friday, September 8, 2017, the Netherlands Deputy Chief of Defence, Lt. Gen. M. Wijnen unveiled Delft Dynamics' new DroneCatcher system and today, the drone killer was displayed for the public at DSEI 2017, defense and security exhibition in London, United Kingdom.
DroneCatcher drone killer at DSEI 2017, Defense and Security Exhibition in London,United Kingdom
Today it is easy and cheap to buy a drone. Drones have created new ways for smugglers and can be easily used to disturb public order and security. With DroneCatcher this can now be countered in a fully controlled manner.
The DroneCatcher system is one of the very few counter-drone systems, which is capable of eliminating rogue drones by catching and removing the threat in the air and by bringing it to a harmless place.
DroneCatcher is initiated by Delft Dynamics, supported by the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (Military Police), the Dutch National Police and the Dutch Ministry of Safety and Justice.
The DroneCatcher is a multicopter, that is armed with a netgun. It can safely remove illicit drones from the air. After detection by for example a radar, vision or an acoustic system, DroneCatcher is able to quickly approach hovering or moving threats. With the use of multiple onboard sensors, the netgun can be locked on the target.
Thanks to DroneCatcher's track & trace capabilities, the drone will be caught by shooting a net. After the catch, DroneCatcher can bring the captured drone attached with a cable, to a harmless place. When the caught drone is too heavy to tow, the target can be dropped with a parachute to ensure low impact on the ground.
A DroneCatcher system includes a multicopter with netgun, a ground control station, transportation boxes, training and manuals. A camera, laser rangefinder and a track & trace system are used for precise hit. Delft Dynamics' ground control stations come standard with velocity control, waypoint control, etc.
With DroneCatcher drones can be caught and carried away in the air in a controlled and safe manner.
