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Drones

DroneShield's latest jamming gun takes down nearby targets with a single hand

By Nick Lavars
July 15, 2019
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The DroneGun MkIII will work on drones within a 500-m (0.3-mi) range
DroneShield
The DroneGun MkIII ships with a rugged carry case
DroneShield
DroneShield has again expanded its lineup of weaponry built to disable unmanned aircraft
DroneShield
The DroneGun MkIII
DroneShield
The DroneGun MkIII blasts drones with electromagnetic noise at just the right frequencies to stop them in their tracks
DroneShield
The DroneGun MkIII will work on drones within a 500-m (0.3-mi) range
DroneShield
View gallery - 5 images

DroneShield has again expanded its lineup of weaponry built to disable unmanned aircraft, this time taking aim at targets a little closer to home. The newly announced DroneGun MkIII uses the same frequency-jamming tactics as the company's other offerings, but is designed to work in a tighter radius with one-handed operation for a quick and easy draw.

DroneShield's other handheld jamming devices, the DroneGun and the DroneGun Tactical, work by blasting drones with electromagnetic noise at the same frequencies the aircraft use for control communications and video transmission.

The DroneGun MkIII blasts drones with electromagnetic noise at just the right frequencies to stop them in their tracks
DroneShield

When on target, they can prompt a drone to land safely on the spot or return to its point of takeoff, while cutting the video livestream back to the operator immediately. The original DroneGun worked on drones up to 1.3 mi (2 km) away, while the DroneGun Tactical packed the tech into a tighter package for easier carry but reducing that working range to within 0.6 mi (1 km).

The DroneGun MkIII continues this trend and will work on drones within a 0.3 mi (500-m) range. The upside of that is a package that is again smaller and lighter, and is designed for one-handed operation. Where the DroneGun Tactical weighed 6.8 kg (15 lb), the DroneGun MkIII tips the scales at just 4.3 lb (1.95 kg) and measures a very manageable 24.76 x 15.46 x 8.24 in (63 x 40 x 20 cm).

It runs on a battery good for one hour of drone-blasting action and ships in a rugged carry case for protection. Due to lack of FCC authorization, like DroneShield's other devices, the DroneGun MkIII is not available for purchase to anyone in the US other than government agencies – at least for now.

Source: DroneShield

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DronesDrone safetyDrone securityNew Atlas Audio
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Nick Lavars
Nick has been writing and editing at New Atlas for over six years, where he has covered everything from distant space probes to self-driving cars to oddball animal science. He previously spent time at The Conversation, Mashable and The Santiago Times, earning a Masters degree in communications from Melbourne’s RMIT University along the way.
5 comments
BlueOak
Not that frequency-blasting devices like this "gun" are FCC legal in the US or inexpensive enough to be common... but, if you are identified jamming a drone that is over private property... or for that matter, public property, be ready to be sued for damaging someone's private property - their drone.
f8lee
Not just that, but will it have any effect on drones that are programmed to follow a GPS course using internal navigation only and that are not reliant on a connection to a pilot?
GregVoevodsky
Blue-Oak - You obviously missed the point. This is a defensive weapon that would be used in the battlefield, around airports (where drones are banned), stop drug running drones at the border, and to protect suicide drones around the White House. It's not some toy like a water gun that can shoot your drone down for fun. Also, didn't you read that they can land your drone - so no property damage.
ShahbazParsipour
what happens if the attacked / damaged / neutralized / ... (whatever) drone using this gun drops down on some passerby for example? or damages other people's property?
who will be responsible for the presuming charges: the original drone's owner or the one who shot it down? both?
Dennis Mummert
I have to wonder why they bother working on drone jammers. I can think of a couple of ways around their scheme without cracking a book, and one of them has teeth - you better be in a bunker if you're (attempting to) use directional jamming. And, no, you can't land my drone. Because you can't break into the flight control system. If you can find my comm channel, you can submit a request, but you can do that without the EM noise. Don't play games, and stop issuing challenges - you're just causing the whole genre to evolve a new breed of hardened control systems. Thanks, BTW - now I'm changing the antenna specs.
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