Taiwanese Startup Makes Inroads in Crowded Counter-UAS Market.

• Author: Magnuson, Stew

CHIBA, Japan -- A Taiwan-based small business is having some success in the highly competitive field of counter-drone technology.

Tron Future Technologies, based out of Hsinchu, Taiwan, has sold its anti-drone system to "more than five" international customers so far, Yu-Hsuan Chao, sales and market division specialist, said on the sidelines of the DSEI Japan conference.

She could not disclose the names of the customers.

The entire system fits in one box and weighs about 15 kilograms. "It's easy to carry and when you arrive at the place you want to set it up, you can start operations in only a few minutes," she said.

The portable radar can detect enemy drones out to five kilometers. Once one is spotted, the operator can hand- or tube-launch a small unmanned aerial interceptor with a variety of different options depending on the threat, she said.

The operator can dispatch the interceptor with one of two different "soft kill" options: a jammer that stops the enemy drone from functioning; or a net that entangles it and drops it to the ground.

If more drastic measures are...