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As Attack Drones Multiply, Israeli Firms Develop Defenses

Associated Press

   YEHUD, ISRAEL - Israel, one of the pioneers of drone warfare, is now on
   the front lines of an arms race to protect against attacks by the
   unmanned aircraft.

   A host of Israeli companies have developed defense systems they say can
   detect or destroy incoming drones. But obstacles remain, particularly
   when operating in crowded urban airspaces.

   "Fighting these systems is really hard ... not just because you need to
   detect them, but you also need to detect them everywhere and all the
   time," said Ulrike Franke, a policy fellow at the European Council of
   Foreign Relations.

   Drones present unique challenges that set them apart from traditional
   airborne threats, such as missiles or warplanes.

   They can fly below standard military radar systems and use GPS
   technology to execute pinpoint attacks on sensitive targets for a
   fraction of the price of a fighter jet. They can also be deployed in
   "swarms," which can trick or elude conventional defense systems. Even
   small off-the-shelf drones can be turned into weapons by rigging them
   with explosives or simply crashing them in crowded areas.

   A series of drone strikes across the Middle East, including an attack
   on a Saudi oil field and processing plant that jolted international
   markets earlier this month, have underscored the devastating
   effectiveness of small unmanned attack aircraft.

   The drone attack on Saudi energy infrastructure knocked out about half
   of the kingdom's oil supplies.

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