JERUSALEM, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Israeli experts have developed a laser-based defense system that can down the next generation of autonomous attack drones, Ben-Gurion University (BGU) in southern Israel reported Wednesday.
The new system, dubbed "Light Blade," was developed by BGU experts with the support of Israel's Border Police.
It could be stationed, for example, around airports, to provide complete coverage without endangering any pilots or passengers.
Other potential applications include defending public events such as concerts or speeches.
Current drones must still maintain some communication link, either to their handler or to GPS and therefore electronic jamming systems can exploit that weakness, known as a "soft kill."
However, future attack drones will be completely autonomous, navigating via onboard sensors and cameras and eschewing any sort of exploitable communication link.
In order to neutralize them before they reach their target, a "hard kill" option is needed to physically target and shoot down the drone.
According to the experts, "in order to operate most high-powered laser defense systems, the airspace needs to be cleared for many kilometers around, so the laser does not accidentally blind anyone. Our system, however, operates at a lower frequency which makes it safe for urban environments."
They noted that the system's approximate range is several km.
