Spanish defense firm Indra has introduced a new autonomous interceptor that can hitch a ride aboard a larger mothership drone to extend its reach.
Known as “DRIZZLE,” the dual-use system is designed to engage hostile aerial threats while protecting critical infrastructure, military convoys, and personnel in the field.
Its compact, lightweight airframe can reach speeds exceeding 400 kilometers (249 miles) per hour.
DRIZZLE uses a proprietary search-and-detection system to distinguish genuine threats from false targets, allowing it to lock onto hostile assets with high precision.
Its onboard processor draws information from electro-optical and infrared sensors and analyzes the data in real time to guide the interceptor during its final approach.
Indra is also developing an upgrade that will add radar to strengthen the drone’s detection capability.
DRIZZLE can serve as a hard-kill effector within existing counter-drone systems or provide onboard protection for land vehicles and aerial platforms.
Boarding the Mothership
Indra has also developed a larger carrier drone to extend the interceptor’s operational reach.
The carrier can transport several DRIZZLE interceptors for the first 80 kilometers (50 miles) of a mission before releasing them to cover the final 50 kilometers (31 miles), giving the combined system a total reach of around 130 kilometers (81 miles).
Capable of flying above 30,000 feet (9,144 meters), multiple carrier drones can operate together and release interceptors en masse to overwhelm enemy air defenses.
Indra positions DRIZZLE as a low-cost, expendable combat system that military forces can rapidly deploy against mass drone attacks.
