Britain launches unusual hunting contest to find a new way to destroy drones

Britain’s Defence Ministry has announced an unusual kind of hunting contest: a search for a system that can bring down drones without consuming a shell or missile for every target.

Traditional air defense faces a straightforward problem. Each drone shot down can mean one fewer round or missile in the ammunition stockpile. The PANOPTES program aims to escape that limitation by making energy the system’s main “ammunition.”

Britain is seeking a solution that could detect, track and destroy numerous drones as autonomously as possible. The stated goal is to reach such a capability in less than two years.