British startup London Defence R&D has unveiled a new interceptor drone, the Baby Raptor, which has a futuristic design and is designed to cheaply intercept enemy drones, Defence Blog reports.
The company notes that the Baby Raptor is designed for fully autonomous takeoff, detection, and destruction of targets without the participation of an operator.
"When defence becomes unaffordable, vulnerabilities open. A low-cost, effective kinetic interceptor helps close that gap while keeping the focus on defence rather than force projection," said the startup's founder Aytekin Guclu.
He also noted that the drone can track targets moving at speeds of over 250 km/h. It uses a sensor suite that includes two daylight cameras, a thermal imaging camera, and inertial/assistance sensors. All of this is combined with artificial intelligence software to search, detect, track, and destroy.
The drone does not carry explosives, but destroys the target "kinetically." Simply put, it crashes into the target to shoot it down. Aytekin Guclu said that this approach increases safety.
The drone’s manufacturing method is optimized for HP’s industrial 3D printers, with the body printed in a single cycle and assembled in less than an hour. This approach allows for rapid local production and rapid resupply directly in the war zone.
It was previously reported that the Czech Republic has created a modular factory that produces UAVs in the combat zone. It also relies on 3D printers for UAV bodies. This system allows for the production of three types of drones.