DroneShield boosts C-UAS portfolio with DroneGun MKIII

DroneShield’s new DroneGun MKIII was developed in response to military requests for a smaller and lighter counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) capability that can complement a primary weapon, the company has told Jane’s .

DroneGun MKIII, which was announced in mid-July, is centred on a pistol-shaped, portable UAS jammer that weighs less than 2 kg, according to the company. It is designed to operate as a standalone unit or in combination with the company’s other products, notably its RfPatrol body-worn UAS detection device and the DroneGun Tactical C-UAS system.

The new system has less range than the DroneGun Tactical system, with a maximum stated range of 500 m as opposed to 2 km for the larger product. However, it weighs only 7.4 kg including the required equipment as opposed to the 18 kg DroneGun Tactical.

According to DroneShield chief executive officer (CEO) Oleg Vornik, UASs can only be seen at 200–300 m without augmented vision, meaning “there is a benefit to having a shorter-range weapon, but one that’s much lighter”.

“You can still have your primary weapon, a machine gun or a rifle, but at the same time carry a DroneGun MKIII as a supplementary device,” Vornik said.

He added that while DroneGun Tactical’s longer range could be useful for users in a range of situations, the pistol-sized DroneGun MKIII “enables everybody in the platoon to carry the product, without interfering with their existing payloads”.