US tech giant Motorola Solutions announced Monday that it will buy Israeli drone defense startup D-Fend for $1.5 billion, as governments and critical infrastructure ​operators worldwide rush to defend against the growing threat of rogue ‌drones.

Shares of the drone defense company were up more than 2 percent after the deal was announced, which Hebrew media described as the largest-ever sale of an Israeli defense company.

Founded in 2016 in central Raanana, D-Fend makes technology that uses radio waves to take control of rogue drones mid-flight, rather than disrupting signals or shooting them down. While it can defend against remotely operated drones, it would not work against UAVs guided by fiber-optic cables, such as the ones Hezbollah has employed against Israel in recent weeks to deadly effect. 

Its flagship ​product, EnforceAir, is deployed in over 30 countries including NATO members to ​protect military zones, airports and critical infrastructure. Its tech is also used by the US ‌departments ⁠of Homeland Security, Defense and Justice.

Attacks on key infrastructure such as data centers in the US-Israeli war with Iran and airport shutdowns across Europe caused by rogue Russian drones have recently shown the ​need for systems that can intercept drones without jamming communications or causing ​damage.

The Safer Skies........

© The Times of Israel