The United States and China are in a heated race to develop electronic and kinetic weapons that can quickly shoot down large numbers of aerial drones -- especially cheap, over-the-counter models -- which will engulf future battlefields.

The new counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) in the market range from rifle-style jammers like the DroneGun and a cheap ($36,200) gun from China that screw with a drone's communications, to more complex systems such as the U.S. Army's Moog Reconfigurable Integrated-weapons Platform (RIwP), a hard kill system that shoots down UASs with 20 mm cannon rounds.

Like Us on Facebook

The DroneGun from Australian company DroneShield is a tactical drone jammer weighing five kilograms. It's an integrated, self-contained system that can be deployed with infantry units to protect friendly personnel and assets from UAS surveillance and attacks.

A point-and-shoot weapon, the DroneGun is designed to be effective against a wide variety of drones. It can operate independently of other sensors to locate and neutralize UAS threats. The rifle jammer is connected to a backpack that stores the RF transmitter and batteries.

The system requires no calibration and is instantly ready for operation when switched on. It can operate for two hours and requires 90 minutes of charging.

Priced in the tens of thousands of dollars, the DroneGun was recently sold to an unidentified Middle East country. DroneShield said this is first reported sale of a tactical counter-UAV jammer to a Middle Eastern government by any supplier.

Police in Chinese city of Wuhan recently tested an anti-drone rifle that electronically shoots down UASs. Police "shot down" six drones from a distance of one kilometer, said Chinese media.

The Chinese anti-drone rifle takes control of the targeted drones, enabling the rifle's user to land the drone instead of the drone crashing to the ground. The rifle costs some $36,200. Wuhan police are buying 19 of the rifles.

A more expensive and complex system is RIwP, whose C-UAS kinetic defeat capability will be demonstrated in October. A Multi-Mission Hemispheric Radar (MHR) is used to detect low, slow, small UAS.

Surveillance and Battlefield Reconnaissance Equipment (SABRE) quickly allows an operator to positively identify aerial targets at long range. The target drones are then engaged by 20 mm cannons.