Hezbollah’s small fiber-optic FPV drones have become one of the most serious threats to Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and northern Israel. They are difficult to detect, impossible to disrupt with classical methods of electronic warfare, and in recent months they have claimed the lives of at least 12 Israeli soldiers. CNN.
The new FPV drones being used by Hezbollah are said to be no bigger than saucers. Guided by an optical cable, these drones do not emit radio signals, which makes them extremely difficult to detect and almost impossible to disrupt with electronic warfare methods.
– The threat of drones is a challenge, but we will overcome it, said last month the Chief of General Staff of the Israeli Army, Eyal Zamir, adding that “operational and technological solutions” are being developed and applied.
The Israeli army, officially known as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), has begun installing hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of netting to protect against drones.
Soldiers have also been given shotguns and cluster munitions that can be used to shoot down approaching drones at close range.
According to CNN, the IDF has not yet said how, or if, it has improved the ability to identify and track these drones, but has called on private technology and defense companies to develop and deploy effective countermeasures.
Last month, many of those companies came together with military officials to address a problem that is clearly urgent and requires new solutions. Among them were firms developing sensors that don’t use radio frequencies to detect fiber-optic drones, as well as others working on ways to intercept and neutralize drones before they hit a target.
Among them was Shai Kurianski, chief technology officer and co-founder of Airwayz, which says it has developed software capable of managing low-altitude airspace and identifying potential threats. That technology was recently used by the Miami Police Department to help protect World Cup soccer stadiums from drone threats.
Because Hezbollah’s fiber-optic drones are so difficult to detect, experts say it’s often necessary to use multiple types of sensors simultaneously to accurately identify incoming threats — optical, acoustic, radar and laser systems among them.
Airwayz says its system combines data from multiple sensors to quickly identify both friendly and hostile drones.
