The Defense Ministry's Directorate of Defense Research & Development says it

The Defense Ministry's Directorate of Defense Research & Development says it has completed a series of tests on new anti-drone defense systems that are in development.

Arms contractors Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Rafael, and six smaller companies presented different solutions for the unmanned aerial vehicle threat, with the first tests being carried out in October and a final test yesterday.

The systems that succeeded in the tests will move on with development with full Defense Ministry funding.

The ministry says that during yesterday's final tests at a firing zone in southern Israel, each of the nine companies "displayed interception capabilities of UAVs of different ranges, speeds, and altitudes."

The companies presented several anti-drone systems, including systems using 30mm cannons, and other gun-based technologies; interceptor UAVs, including some that launch a net to take down a target drone; and interceptor missiles.

"Upon completion of an analysis of the current experimental results, the Defense Ministry intends to choose a number of technologies that will enter into an accelerated development and manufacturing process. This is to deploy new operational capabilities in the immediate time frame," the ministry says.

Some 1,300 drones were launched at Israel since the start of the war on October 7, 2023, from all fronts — Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Iran. According to IDF data, 231 of the drones struck Israel, causing causalities and damage in a handful of cases.