‘Drones that hunt drones’: Israel’s race to stop the battlefield’s deadliest threat
AI Analysis
Israel is prioritizing the development of counter-drone technologies, specifically to address the growing threat of First-Person View (FPV) drones. Rafael is developing "Hunter Eye," an attack drone designed to intercept and destroy other drones, while Elbit and IAI are also heavily invested in both offensive and defensive solutions. The difficulty in countering FPV drones stems from their small size and challenging detection/identification characteristics.
Key Takeaways
- FPV drones are identified as a major challenge for the Israeli defense establishment.
- Rafael is developing "Hunter Eye," a drone-on-drone countermeasure, expected within months.
- Elbit Systems is working intensely with the Defense Ministry on offensive and defensive anti-drone solutions.
- IAI highlights the difficulty in detecting and intercepting FPV drones due to their size and signature.
- All three companies (Rafael, Elbit, IAI) acknowledge the increasing importance of AI and space-based capabilities in modern warfare.
Why It Matters
The proliferation of low-cost, commercially available FPV drones presents a significant asymmetric threat to conventional military forces. Israel's focused investment in counter-drone technologies will likely shape future defense strategies and potentially influence global procurement trends in this rapidly evolving domain. The development of 'hunter' drones signifies a shift towards automated and autonomous counter-UAS systems.
‘Drones that hunt drones’: Israel’s race to stop the battlefield’s deadliest threat
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‘Drones that hunt drones’: Israel’s race to stop the battlefield’s deadliest threat
Defense executives from Rafael, Elbit and IAI warn that future warfare is already here: autonomous drones, battlefield AI and space conflict; They unveiled Israel’s race to counter FPV drone threats and the technologies reshaping modern combat
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Rafael Advanced Defense Systems
While most Israelis encounter the country’s defense systems mainly through headlines about interceptions, strikes or covert operations, a massive technological revolution has been unfolding behind the scenes in recent years.
At a panel held during the ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth“2026: From Frontline to Growth” conference in cooperation with Sapir Academic College, three of the people actively shaping Israel’s future battlefield gathered: Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Executive VP for Technology and R&D Eytan Eshel, EVP Strategy Innovation & CTO at Elbit Systems Yehoshua "Shuki" Yehuda and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems' Head of R&D Department Elad Shitrit.
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FPV drones are currently among the most painful challenges facing the defense establishment
(Photo: Julia Demaree Nikhinson\AP)
The three discussed the new threats troubling the defense establishment, chief among them first-person view (FPV) drones that have become one of the most problematic weapons on the modern battlefield, the penetration of artificial intelligence into every layer of combat, the space war they say is already taking place and the dramatic surge in global demand for Israeli defense technologies.
The most painful challenge of all
Shitrit acknowledged that FPV drones are currently among the most painful challenges facing the defense establishment.
“At Rafael, we established a department dedicated solely to the drone threat,” he said. According to him, the company is currently working on a series of rapid solutions, including a project called “Hunter Eye.”
“It’s essentially an attack drone that will attack drones,” he said. “I very much hope that in the coming months we will see a significant solution to this.”
Yehuda also stressed that developments are already underway but warned that this is a complex process that takes time. “The process of developing a weapon and dealing with it takes time, it takes time to mature it,” he said. According to him, Elbit is working with the Defense Ministry “with very, very significant intensity” on both offensive and defensive solutions against FPV drones.
Eshel explained why the threat is so difficult to solve. “These drones are hard to detect and identify, and as a result also difficult to intercept,” he said. According to him, the future response will rely on a combination of detection s