Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defence Systems has published a video showing its latest development, the Drone Dome system armed with a laser, in action, downing several unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) flying as a swarm. According to Rafael, the system, mounted on an all-road vehicle, is capable of detecting nearby drones, identifying those who are not friendly, and performing a "hard kill" on hostile targets using its powerful laser.
In the video, the Drone Dome first downs a single flying drone and later turns to a swarm of three UAVs downing them one by one. Rafael noted that the system requires just one person to operate properly.
Rafael presented the Drone Dome system for the first time in 2016, but back then it looked completely different. It was a set of equipment that could be set up in any spot, instead of being mounted on a vehicle. That model also used a "soft kill" method by jamming or interfering with the drone's command signal, forcing it to land or to switch off, instead of burning through it with a laser beam.