The bitter news cleared for publication Monday of the death of Warrant Officer (res.) Alexander Glovanyov, 47, after being hit by a drone, again drove home the realization that the threat posed by FPV drones has become one of the deadliest and most complex challenges the IDF faces in the fighting in southern Lebanon. The defense establishment understood that time was running out and examined more than 100 proposals.
The defense establishment and the Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development are working around the clock to bring solutions to the front that could reduce the threat level within days to weeks. The proposals were assessed using a “traffic light” system: those marked “red” were rejected, the “yellow” ones moved on for further testing and the “green” ones are already making their way to the field.
One of the most significant challenges is detecting the drones. Troops in the field have repeatedly reported that they spot a drone only seconds before impact. ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth have learned that new “detection kits” will be distributed to combat teams in southern Lebanon. Security officials acknowledged that the system is not 100% effective — perhaps not even 90% — but said it will give troops the precious seconds they need to take cover.
The defense establishment has also examined the Ukrainian approach to protection using a rotating electrified barbed-wire fence. The system is motorized and creates a “screen” of wire designed to physically tear the drone’s fiber-optic cable and bring it down before it reaches its target.
Alongside this, “harder” solutions are also being examined. In addition to the Dagger sighting systems that have been distributed, shotgun-style weapons that fire deployable nets to trap drones in the air have been tested. Fragmenting ammunition has also been examined — essentially rounds that split apart after being fired to expand the strike range against a small target. These systems could reach the battlefield in the coming weeks.
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The fourth fallen soldier killed by a drone strike: Alexander Glovanyov
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, Dana Kopel)
The more “sophisticated” solutions being tested by the defense establishment are drones designed to counter Hezbollah’s FPV drones. Six different models are in advanced trial stages, with a range of methods under examination: from a drone carrying a warhead that explodes near the enemy drone, to drones that drop nets and a method known as “iron against iron,” in which one drone rams the enemy drone with force and knocks it down.
Although no operational interception has yet been recorded in the field, several shootdowns have been achieved at test sites. The assessment is that by the end of the year, “interceptor drone” kits will become an integral part of the equipment used by frontline forces. It is important to note that the IDF has found itself at a disadvantage against a “dumb” and cheap, but deadly, threat.
Meanwhile, as technological solutions are on the way, troops in the field have been forced to improvise. The distress is so great that commanders are privately turning to engineers for deployment diagrams, while others are contacting farmers to obtain shade and protective nets. Now, in a race against time, the Defense Ministry is trying to close the gap.