Kanpur-based military equipment manufacturer MKU Limited has introduced an innovative counter-drone solution named the Anti-Drone Net.
This new system offers a physical, non-kinetic method to bring down hostile unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by tangling them in a specialised mesh, bypassing the need for traditional electronic jamming or physical projectiles.
The product aims to give security agencies and military forces a cost-effective, quick-to-deploy tool against a rising wave of commercial drones, first-person-view (FPV) attack systems, and tactical aircraft.
The mechanism behind the Anti-Drone Net focuses on capturing an incoming drone by wrapping around its propellers, outer frame, and control surfaces.
Once snared, the aircraft immediately loses its flight stability and lift, effectively ending its mission and forcing a safe descent.
By neutralising the threat physically rather than blowing it up, this system dramatically lowers the danger of collateral damage—a crucial advantage when operating in densely populated regions or near critical infrastructure.
Karan Gupta, MKU’s Vice-President of International Sales, explained that the net was created mainly to tackle a variety of aerial platforms. These include off-the-shelf commercial quadcopters, multirotor UAVs, FPV kamikaze drones, and systems used for intelligence and surveillance.
Depending on the environment and the target's specific traits, Gupta noted that the net is also capable of stopping various loitering munitions.
To ensure it can adapt to diverse combat needs, the Anti-Drone Net is manufactured in different mesh sizes, specifically 25×25 mm and 40×40 mm variants.
This flexibility allows security personnel to select the right net for specific drone categories, giving them a reliable response to the broad spectrum of aerial dangers seen on today’s battlefields, from tiny reconnaissance quadcopters to bulkier tactical drones.
This new product underlines how modern warfare is shifting, with cheap, accessible drones becoming highly disruptive tools. The extensive use of affordable FPV drones in ongoing global conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine, heavily guided MKU's design approach.
Instead of building an overly complex and expensive electronic system, the company prioritised a solution that is simple to operate, highly affordable, and ready for immediate deployment on the front lines.
Conventional anti-drone systems that depend on GPS disruption or radio-frequency jamming often struggle against modern autonomous UAVs, particularly those using encrypted signals or new fibre-optic links that cannot be jammed.
Because the Anti-Drone Net relies on a physical catch rather than electronic interference, it successfully overcomes these limitations, offering a foolproof method against electronically hardened threats that would otherwise ignore standard jamming efforts.
Beyond active combat zones, the net is expected to provide essential protection for civilian and strategic assets. Border outposts, ammunition storage, airports, and power plants are facing higher risks of drone-based smuggling, surveillance, and strikes.
Using a non-kinetic net allows guards to safely remove these airborne risks without the dangers of stray bullets, explosive shrapnel, or falling debris that typically accompany weapon-based air defence.
In recent years, India has seen a noticeable increase in rogue drone activities across its borders, mostly used for smuggling narcotics, dropping weapons, and gathering intelligence.
As FPV drones and loitering munitions become more common, there is an urgent need for multi-layered air defence networks that combine electronic jamming, energy weapons, and physical capture tools.
MKU’s reusable, cost-effective net fits perfectly into this layered strategy, addressing specific security gaps.
The launch of this system also shines a spotlight on the growing contribution of India's private sector under the Atmanirbhar Bharat (Make in India) initiatives.
Based in the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor, MKU demonstrates how domestic firms are stepping up to solve cutting-edge battlefield problems.
As the nature of drone combat advances, the global demand for versatile, budget-friendly, and highly effective countermeasures like the Anti-Drone Net is set to surge.
