As drones continue their takeover of the battlefield, soldiers need to be protected from them, as well as have the option of deploying "last stand" measures for taking them down. And, as the war in Ukraine has taught the world, bringing in drone defenses without spending millions on countermeasures is driving military strategists in the United States and Europe.
The lastest defensive play is a microcomputer that can be attached to standard service rifles and transform them into viable drone killers.
Israel Weapons Industries has been marketing its Arbel Computerized Weapons System that optimizes shooter accuracy for a while—and it is already being deployed by several unnamed armies for improved tactical results—but the company is now reporting at least ten European countries are currently looking at the system as an anti-drone defense.
IWI's head of Europe, who goes only by his first name, Semion, for security reasons, estimates that up to 50 percent of European military forces will put the Arbel system in the field throughout 2026—a result of global interest in cost-efficient anti-drone defenses.
There's also a good reason for deploying a system that can effectively shot down enemy drones.
To date, much of drone combat has been waged by small first-person-view (FPV) drones. It used to be that FPV strikes could be nullified by jamming the attack drone to interfere with its signal connections. Unfortunately for those on the defensive, operators are pivoting to fiber-optic cabling systems that connect directly to their controllers, rather than using radio signals. As a result, more and more of these drones are getting through the usual defenses, and shooting them down with small arms fire requires steady hands, good eyes, and a ton of luck. After all, drones are incredibly difficult to hit. They can change course unexpectedly and zoom through the air like Superman on a mission.
This is where Arbel comes to the rescue.
The Arbel computerized system can be easily integrated into assault rifles and provide soldiers with incredibly accurate shots—especially when facing moving targets. Once a soldier identifies a threat and pulls the trigger, Arbel automatically releases rounds in ways that are likely to actually hit the target. IWI says Arbel can bring down drones at nearly 1,500 feet in daylight and 700 feet at night.
In addition, Arbel's sensors study the habits of the shooter—movement, stability, and trigger pressure. The soldier can deliver fierce and accurate firepower by simply holding down the trigger and keeping the drone in sight.
"Arbel itself doesn't necessarily know what it's shooting at," explain Semion. "It's up to the soldier to engage targets responsibly."
See the Arbel System in Action
