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Israel Orders DefendAir Net-Based System to Stop Hostile Drones During Close-Range Attacks.
On January 2, 2026, ParaZero Technologies confirmed it received its first purchase order from a major Israeli defense entity for its DefendAir counter-unmanned aerial system, a net-launching platform designed to physically capture hostile drones. The order highlights how Israel is prioritizing rapid, close-range drone defense that works even when electronic warfare is ineffective or undesirable.
On January 2, 2026, ParaZero Technologies announced that the company received its first purchase order from a main Israeli defense entity for DefendAir, a multi-layered counter-unmanned aerial system designed to physically capture hostile drones with a patented net-launching mechanism rather than explosives. The customer and quantities were not disclosed, but the package includes delivery of multiple systems plus integration and training intended to push the units into operational service quickly, a sign that Israel is treating short-range drone defense as an urgent battlefield requirement rather than a niche base-security add-on.
ParaZero's DefendAir captures hostile drones with non-explosive nets launched from hand-held units, turrets, or interceptor drones, defeating FPV and multi-rotor UAVs when jamming or missiles are impractical (Picture source: ParaZero).
DefendAir’s “armament” is the net launcher itself, fired either from a hand-held projector, a fixed turret, or carried by an interception drone. The tactical idea is simple: the net envelopes the target and disrupts lift and control by entangling rotors or control surfaces, stopping the drone with minimal fragmentation and greatly reduced risk to nearby troops, civilians, and critical infrastructure. ParaZero positions the concept as a soft-kill approach, but in practice, it sits in the increasingly important “capture and disable” category, where the effect is kinetic yet non-explosive.
On the technical side, ParaZero describes three employment envelopes that map neatly to Israeli operational needs. The interception-drone variant is listed with a range up to 2 kilometers, the stationary turret up to 100 meters, and the hand-held net gun up to 35 meters, allowing planners to cover everything from perimeter approaches to last-ditch squad protection. Net size scales with configuration: the turret can project the largest nets, while the mobile variants use smaller nets optimized for rapid shot opportunities. The turret and interceptor-drone modes are presented as autonomous options that can connect to radar and include optical detection and tracking, while the hand-held launcher remains manual, with a possible smart-shooter sight to help operators lead fast targets.
Where DefendAir becomes particularly relevant for Israel is its stated ability to operate when jamming is undesirable or ineffective. ParaZero explicitly markets the system as effective in RF-denied environments and against fiber-optic guided drones, a class designed to ignore radio-frequency disruption and increasingly associated with high-end FPV attack profiles in recent conflicts. That makes the net-capture method a pragmatic counter to drones that either cannot be jammed, must not be jammed near friendly communications, or are flown so close to the target that electronic effects arrive too late.
In Israeli service, analysts assess that DefendAir would be most valuable as a close-in layer around fixed sites and maneuver units: border outposts, ammunition points, temporary command posts, and urban infrastructure where an interceptor missile or even a gun solution can be politically and tactically problematic. It can also support forensic exploitation, since capturing a drone intact can preserve payload cues, guidance components, and signatures for rapid intelligence cycles, something Israel prioritizes when adversaries iterate quickly. ParaZero says DefendAir has achieved a 100% interception success rate in multiple field trials, and the company has also staged live demonstrations for senior NATO officers in Europe, emphasizing rapid deployment and precision engagement in realistic base-defense scenarios.
As for which drones it is most efficient against, the design clearly targets the most common and operationally painful categories: small quadcopters and commercial multi-rotors used for ISR, grenade drops, and FPV strike runs, plus short-range loitering profiles that must enter the final approach corridor to be lethal. ParaZero also highlights that the same non-explosive capture approach can scale upward, pointing to a net-based interception demonstration against a DJI FlyCart heavy-lift platform, a useful indicator for defending ports, depots, and urban perimeters against larger logistics-class drones repurposed for payload delivery. The system is not a replacement for national air defense against high-altitude aircraft or large, fast threats, but it fills the gap below strategic interceptors, where reaction time is measured in seconds, and collateral constraints dominate.
Israel already operates a layered air-defense architecture for rockets and missiles, yet the drone problem often appears at low altitude, inside clutter, and at ranges where traditional interceptors are either uneconomical or tactically awkward. In that context, DefendAir looks like a deliberately ground-truth solution: cheap shots, short ranges, fast set-up, and a physical stop that does not depend on winning the electronic duel. If the undisclosed Israeli user integrates the turret and interceptor-drone options with existing sensors and command-and-control, the result could be a highly practical shield against the everyday drone threat that now shadows every patrol base and every border camera.