13 October 2022             

Well, you and I probably can't buy this product, but it demonstrates how critical "rogue" drones are becoming, and the steps required to stop them from doing evil.

Dedrone—which already has its anti-drone systems placed with military forces worldwide—announced the DedroneDefender, a handheld drone-defense device developed to assist civilian, state, and local law enforcement in urban cities. Utilizing narrow-band “comb” jamming to ensure as little interference with other devices as possible, the DedroneDefender severs the connection between the drone and its pilot.

Although the loss of connection typically affects drones differently—for example, some will simply land, while others may attempt to navigate back to their launch points—Dedrone claims that once the DedroneDefender severs communication between pilot and drone, it deploys a safety mode designed to minimize risk to the drone and others.

“DroneDefender is a valuable resource for extreme hostile environments, as proven by our federal and military customers,” said Aaditya Devarakonda, Dedrone CEO. “DedroneDefender extends that security to law enforcement, and is a vital tool in a layered-defense approach. It is easy to implement and use for drone mitigation—especially when combined with the threat prioritization provided by DedroneTracker. Our solution library is continuously updated to ensure we are able to mitigate even the newest manufactured and DIY drones.”

At 22-inches long and weighing just 7.5 lbs, the DedroneDefender offers portable and easy-to-use protection against malicious drones. But forget about neutralizing your annoying neighbor's "peekaboo" drone. At present, U.S. law prohibits the disabling of aircraft, and drones fall under that provision as much as a Southwest Airlines jet. Even local police can't knock a drone out of the sky. Unless you're Homeland Security or the Department of Defense responding to an alleged terrorist threat—and even those agencies need authorization to act—you can't mess with a drone. 

And even if you could, the price of the DedroneDefender is a bit more expensive than the typical drone deal at Target or BestBuy. You'd be dropping tens of thousands of dollars on the defensive device. But the existence of the DedroneDefender—and other systems like it—does speak to a potential future where such protections are vital, viable, and needed.

WATCH THE TECH IN ACTION