A soldier raises a small launcher to his shoulder and aims it skyward. Instead of an ordinary bullet, it sends an interceptor drone after another drone. The flying interceptor must then keep tracking its target on its own.
Auterion is testing its Talon system with the Bundeswehr, Germany’s armed forces. The company is targeting both individual drones and multiple threats at once. The interesting technology is not just in the portable launcher, but above all in the interceptor’s onboard guidance.
Keeping track on its own
Hitting a moving drone is difficult: the target can accelerate or change direction. Aiming at the right spot at launch is therefore not enough. The interceptor needs to adjust its course along the way.
In its interceptor product sheet, Auterion explains how this works. The operator selects a target in the camera image. Onboard tracking and guidance then take over. The soldier does not have to fly the drone all the way to its target with a joystick.
Using vision rather than relying solely on GPS
Auterion uses a thermal imaging sensor and a small onboard computer, among other components. The sensor provides the image; the software keeps track of the target and adjusts the interceptor’s course. According to the manufacturer, this final approach can work without GPS, and losing the radio link does not necessarily end the interception.
That is the difference between a remotely piloted aircraft and a drone that keeps pursuing an assigned target itself. People remain involved: Auterion also describes options for aborting the mission. Autonomous flight here does not mean the drone chooses a target without a human command.
A portable addition to air defence
The test footage shows how compact the equipment can be: soldiers stand in an open training area with portable devices. It is a different setup from a large vehicle-mounted air defence system. The idea is to provide protection that can travel with a small unit.
Auterion presents Talon as an answer to both individual drones and swarms. The demonstration with the Bundeswehr is a test; it does not by itself announce an order or widespread adoption by the German military.
