Motorola Solutions buys Israeli drone defense startup D-Fend for $1.5 billion |
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.
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