Australian technology firm DroneShield has been awarded a nearly $1-million contract to supply a portable counter-drone system to an unspecified country in the Asia-Pacific.
The company said that the country is an ally of the West.
“This order is important in several ways… This order is a testament to the diversity of the DroneShield sales pipeline – with the last three larger orders being US-, Europe-, and Asia-based,” DroneShield CEO Oleg Vornik said.
Delivery of the counter-drone system is expected in March 2023.
DroneShield’s Counter-UAS Systems
DroneShield did not specify which of its counter-drone products is being ordered by the unnamed Asian customer.
However, the company produces the DroneGun Tactical, a “highly effective” unmanned aerial system (UAS) countermeasure operable at long range.
It features a lightweight, rifle-style design and an intuitive control panel to strike targets more effectively.
The Australian firm also manufactures the DroneGun MKIII, a “compact and lightweight” counter-UAS designed to operate using only one hand.
It disrupts the electronics of enemy drones, causing them to land on the spot or return to their operators.
Escalating Drone Warfare
The recent order for a sophisticated counter-drone system reportedly reflects an increasing demand for such solutions, especially amid the escalating drone warfare in Ukraine.
According to DroneShield’s Vornik, Russian forces’ use of Iranian-made suicide drones to attack critical infrastructure in Kyiv only highlights the rising importance of anti-drone capabilities.
“As we are seeing in Ukraine, with the latest use of Shahed-136 drones by Russia, drone warfare continues to rapidly escalate, and government agencies globally are responding to this threat with acquisitions of counter-drone systems,” he said.