Drone Fighting Gun Introduced With Range Of 1.2 Miles

The rise in civilian drones for use as an expensive hobby or for work has had a rather jarring effect on regulations, privacy, and safety. Irresponsible owners are flying their drones over restricted areas, narrowly missing airplanes, causing damage to property, and taking photos or videos of people without permission. As a result, several measures to counter the rising threat of drones have been created, including a gun that can stop the intrusive machines.

Aptly named the DroneGun, the device is shaped like a huge rifle, but it doesn’t fire bullets. Rather, it emits a wave of energy that disables the primary functions of drones, Engadget reports.

The rifle was created by a company based in Australia called DroneShield. It weighs 13 pounds, which makes it incredibly unwieldy, but it compensates for its weight by being able to take out a drone at a distance of 1.2 miles. This is a huge advantage over conventional means of neutralizing the surveillance features of drones where one would need to be relatively close to the unit.

Upon pulling the trigger, the DroneGun won’t cause the drone to explode or anything spectacular like that. It will simply force the drone to land on the spot or return to its owner. In effect, this will allow those using the rifle to locate the use of the drone, which would make it perfect for authorities.

DroneShield is planning to release the gun to global customers as long as their country’s laws allow them to legally own such a device, Digital Trend reports. Since the gun is not exactly approved by the FCC, it’s unlikely that U.S. customers will be able to get the gun anytime soon. However, since the company behind the product is also looking at government agencies as prospective customers, certification for civilian use isn’t an impossible idea.