Three Days of Testing in Germany with SPRIND

Recently we spent three days in Germany testing Drone Hunter as part of the Anti-Drone Response program run by SPRIND, the German Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation.

What SPRIND is looking for

SPRIND exists to back ideas that could change how a field works. In the Anti-Drone Response challenge, the goal is a fully autonomous system that can stop small and micro drones precisely, in real time, and without causing collateral damage. That means no explosives and no kinetic means. The target drones weigh up to 25 kg and fly up to 200 km/h.

That is very close to how we think about airspace protection. Stopping a drone is only half the job. How you stop it matters just as much, especially near airports, industrial sites, or anywhere people are on the ground.

Why three days made a difference

A single demo can look great and still teach you very little. You run it once, it works or it does not, and everyone goes home.

Three days gave us something better. We could repeat runs, try different scenarios, and see how the system behaves when conditions change. Some things only show up the second or third time you try them, and that is exactly the kind of thing you want to find before a system is used in the real world.

What we brought home

Once again, we got to show our technology in action. And once again, we came home with more than we brought: new ideas, and real data we will use to keep improving the system.

That is the part we value most. Data from proper testing tells you what to fix, what to keep, and what to try next.

We are grateful to SPRIND for creating a setting where this kind of work can happen, and to the other teams for making it a serious test. We will keep building, and keep testing.