Israeli defense company says this trigger is programmed to shoot drones – Defense News

Israeli defense company says this trigger is programmed to shoot drones  Defense News

The company says the Arbel electromechanical device will release a cadence of fire optimized for shooting down drones. Thailand’s Ministry of Defence began fielding a new computerized rifle trigger designed to help soldiers shoot down small drones, according to last month’s announcement by the device’s manufacturer, Israel Weapon Industries, or IWI. Company officials consider the deployment a real-world endorsement of the Arbel Anti-Drone System as a potential solution for countering drones on the battlefield. In an interview with Defense News, Semion Dukhan, IWI’s marketing director, described common counter-drone options such as lasers, high-powered electronics, interceptors and specialized ammunition as “not viable in the long run.” He argued that while these technologies can be effective, they often have limitations involving cost, mobility or ease of use.

Arbel’s advantage, he said, is its practicality. “The Arbel is putting a computer to the trigger mechanism of the weapon, so in the context of an anti-drone rifle, what we do is we put the computer in the lower receiver of a standard AR-15 rifle … and with this computer, we control the trigger mechanism of the weapon,” Dukhan said. He explained that Arbel functions somewhat like a fully automatic weapon in that depressing and holding the trigger engages the system. “So you as an operator, the first bullet that you will shoot, will be