The threat of drones being used for activities that can be considered illegal is increasing due to easy access to civilian drones. Whilst authorities are not banning the use of drones for commercial and hobby activities, they are putting limits on where drones can be used lest they pose a hazard to the public, fly in restricted areas, or used for nefarious activities.

There are various offered solutions to taking down rogue drones: shotguns, radio interference, drones with nets, eagles, and now bazookas. I do like the sound of the last one, bazookas, as it means business, though blasting a drone out of the sky is not exactly a safe way of doing it when there are crowds below or aircraft flying nearby.

The good thing is that the bazooka in this story is actually safe to use and does not explode at all. The SkyWall100 is an anti-drone device that fires a projectile that then automatically casts a net on the drone effectively capturing it.  With a parachute deployed after the capture, the drone is then brought slowly back to the ground.

The SkyWall100 by OpenWorks Emgineering is an easy to use man-portable drone defence requiring minimal skills from its operator. The operator uses the OpenWorks Laser-Equipped SmartScope when aiming the SkyWall100 and the onboard laser range finder and Inertial Measurement Unit will then allow the onboard computer the calculate launch vector and muzzle velocity required to intercept the drone.

Using compressed gas, a programmable projectile is launched from the SkyWall100 which then releases a net when it approaches the target drone to capture it. The range of the SkyWall100 is 100 metres LOS (Line of Sight).

OpenWorks are offering the SkyWall system for security organizations, especially those tasked to securing VIPs, (when a drone entered the White House air space), events (where rogue drones can stop midair and land into the crowd below), and airports (drones entering restricted airport air space have caused suspension of airport operations or near collision with passenger planes).

Can the SkyWall100 be used for airsoft games? It is a possibility since airsoft players are not allowed to shoot at drones used for recon by the opposing team so as not to damage or destroy an expensive asset and can also cause injuries to players on the ground. With the SkyWall100, the drones are then considered valid targets and can be taken safely without their owners getting worried about damage.

With the SkyWall100, drone defense is getting better. It also avoids using majestic raptors as drone catchers or some reckless shotgun owner blowing the drones to bits.