At present, drones still need to maintain communication with the operator or GPS, so the electronic jamming system can use this weakness to implement "soft kill" against the drone threat, that is, eliminate the drone's operating status through hacking technology. However, future drones will navigate through onboard sensors and cameras, avoiding any available communication links. Therefore, the soft kill of electronic interference will fail, and the threat of drones will greatly increase. In order to deal with future drone threats, before they reach the target, there needs to be a "hard kill" option to actually target and shoot down the drone.
In fact, Israel has been suffering from airstrikes from balloons carrying incendiary bombs near the Gaza border in recent years. The most recent attack occurred in February 2020. When this type of airstrike began in 2018, the co-founder of a technology solutions company based in Israel, PhD, contacted a professor at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev to find a solution.
In the end, the team led by the professor developed the light blade laser pointer system. The light blade can focus the laser beam on a point on the drone or balloon, and quickly burn and cut the target through the concentrated high energy, which can destroy the aerial drone. And other less complex aerial threats. It is understood that the Light Blade uses an eye-safe laser, which has already been used locally to cut plastic in greenhouse windows.
"Most high-energy laser defense systems need to clear the airspace within a few kilometers when working, so that the laser will not accidentally blind anyone. And our system can operate at a lower frequency, which makes it effective for the urban environment. Safe. Even if the airport fully covers our system, it is fully compliant with safety standards." The professor said in a statement.
Recently, when the Light Blade system was paired with the Israeli Defense Electronics Corporation Threat Detection System, the Light Blade system performed well. The professor said: "We successfully shot down all objects that entered our firepower range." Currently, the professor and his colleagues are exploring the possibility of applying this technology to drones, which will involve enhanced tracking systems and green laser pointer power. .