Indra has introduced DRIZZLE, an autonomous interceptor drone intended to counter massed attacks by low-cost unmanned aircraft. The Spanish company presented the system at UNVEX, an unmanned-systems exhibition in Spain, alongside a larger “mother” drone designed to carry and release multiple interceptors.
According to Indra, the compact interceptor can reach speeds above 400 kilometers per hour and has an approximate standalone range of 80 kilometers. The company said DRIZZLE’s search-and-detection system is designed to distinguish threats and achieve a high-precision lock on a target.
Interceptor for integrated counter-UAS systems
Indra said DRIZZLE can be integrated into anti-drone systems as a hard-kill effector, or used as a self-protection capability for ground vehicles and helicopters. The system is being developed as a consumable, disposable interceptor, a design the company associates with the scale and cost requirements of defending against low-cost drone attacks.
The mother-drone architecture is intended to extend the interceptor’s effective operating radius and allow several weapons to be deployed during a single mission. Indra said the carrier can fly at an altitude of 30,000 feet for the first 80 kilometers before releasing the interceptors for the final phase. Once released, they can travel an additional 50 kilometers, bringing the stated total range to about 130 kilometers.
Swarm deployment against massed attacks
The company also said its mother drones can operate in swarms and release multiple disposable DRIZZLE interceptors. Indra described the resulting deployment as a concentrated spread of interceptors intended to saturate an attacker’s defenses. It further stated that the carrier drones could act as an attack vector after releasing their payloads, although the supplied announcement did not provide additional details on that role.
Indra’s announcement presents DRIZZLE as a family of autonomous effectors rather than only a standalone interceptor. Its stated employment options span fixed or integrated counter-UAS systems, vehicle and helicopter self-protection, and carrier-based release of multiple interceptors for larger drone raids.
