Motorola Solutions has acquired Israeli defense-tech startup D-Fend Solutions for $1.5 billion, marking a major exit in the fast-growing drone defense sector, ynet's sister publication Calcalist reported on Monday.
D-Fend develops counter-drone technology, focusing on systems that can take control of hostile drones using RF (radio frequency) signals without the need for kinetic interception. The technology, however, is not suited to camera-guided drones now attacking northern Israel, which do not rely on a radio signal that can be intercepted.
Founded in 2016, D-Fend has raised just $67 million to date. Its most recent funding round, held nearly two years ago, valued the company at about $250 million.
The biggest beneficiaries are co-founders Zohar Halachmi, Assaf Monsa and Yaniv Benbenisti, who together hold about 25% of the company. Each is expected to receive about $125 million before taxes. Halachmi serves as chairman and CEO, Monsa as chief technology officer and executive vice president of research and development, and Benbenisti as chief product officer and president.
Vertex, D-Fend’s first investor and now its largest shareholder, holds 17% of the company, a stake worth $255 million in the deal. Vertex invested $6 million in the first round, led by founder Yoram Oron. IGP, which led the company’s latest round in 2024, is expected to make six times its investment. Claridge Israel, which led D-Fend’s second funding round in 2019, is also a shareholder.
D-Fend employs about 200 people, most of them in Ra’anana, with additional offices in the United States and Britain. The company has grown by about 50% annually over the past three years. It ended 2025 with nearly $100 million in revenue and is expected to reach $185 million this year.
Its flagship product, EnforceAir, identifies a drone’s communication protocol, remotely takes control of it and lands it at a predetermined location. The system can be carried in a backpack, mounted on a vehicle or deployed at a fixed site. D-Fend sells its products in 30 countries, including the United States, Canada and Australia, and serves military, security and civilian law enforcement agencies.
Motorola Solutions, traded on the New York Stock Exchange at a valuation of about $65 billion, focuses on communications, video and public safety technologies, particularly for law enforcement agencies. It has a development center in Israel specializing in critical communications, video and RF technologies and works with Israel’s defense establishment.
The wars in Israel and Ukraine have made drones one of the hottest defense sectors. Despite Israel’s ongoing struggle to counter the threat, including against Hezbollah on the northern border, the country has become a major exporter of drone-related companies and technologies.
Israeli drone startup XTEND is expected to go public on Wall Street through a merger with a publicly traded shell company at a $1.5 billion valuation. Uvision, controlled by Aaron Frenkel, is also planning a Nasdaq IPO at a $5 billion valuation and has hired JPMorgan for the offering, Calcalist reported.
The D-Fend deal was advised by Jefferies, Goldman Sachs and the Meitar law firm.