Germany’s Diehl Defence raised its counter-drone game in recent live trials, testing two new systems designed to speed up kills and tighten integration.
The Kinetic Defence Vehicle (KDV) and Sky Sphere, armed with the CICADA eMissile, faced incoming drones to measure performance under real-world conditions.
The KDV successfully intercepted a high-flying fixed-wing drone using a long-range effector, pushing its reach beyond close-range quadcopters.
AI-driven automation, combined with radar and electro-optical sensors, boosted its detection and firing accuracy, while layered effectors increased overall interception success.
“The KDV is thus expanding its ability to protect highly mobile forces and stationary facilities from small drones at close range and from high-flying fixed wing drones,” the company stated.
Sky Sphere: Inner Layer Defense
At the same time, Sky Sphere underwent live-fire evaluation in a containerized demonstrator, focusing on tightening the full sensor-to-shooter chain.
As the inner layer of Diehl’s multi-layered air-defense architecture, the system is tuned to counter small unmanned aerial systems exploiting low-altitude routes and erratic flight paths.
CICADA eMissile: The Electric Interceptor
The electrically powered CICADA eMissile is built for NATO Class I and smaller Class II drones.
Operators can choose between a fragmentation warhead or a non-lethal net option, giving flexibility for lethal or low-collateral scenarios.
