This Startup’s Solution to Attack Drones? Sending in a Bigger Drone

RoboTiCan’s Goshawk drone can detect, intercept, and destroy hostile drones by colliding into them in midair

Amarelle Wenkert 17:4412.08.18

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Israeli startup RoboTiCan Ltd.’s solution to attack drones? Sending a bigger drone to hunt them down midair. A drone unveiled last month by RoboTiCan can detect, intercept, and crash into hostile drones, destroying them, according to the company.

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Dubbed Goshawk, the drone interfaces with radar systems to detect unmanned aerial vehicles from an undisclosed distance and uses machine vision and artificial intelligence technologies to identify threats. Once a hostile drone is detected, the Goshawk can autonomously launch itself to collide with the drone, sending the smaller aerial vehicle crashing down.

The Goshawk is very robust and can crash into multiple drones without being affected, Ofir Bustan, vice president of finance and projects at RoboTiCan, told Calcalist on Sunday. The drone is just under 1.5 meters in diameter, Bustan said. He would not disclose the machine’s flight range.

Founded in 2013 and based in the southern city of Beer Sheva, RoboTiCan develops autonomous robotic systems for land and air. The company develops systems for both defense and commercial applications.