SKYFEND unveils integrated counter-drone package at Riyadh defense show
China’s SKYFEND has introduced a paired detection-and-intercept system built to counter small unmanned aircraft threats.
At World Defense Show 2026 in Riyadh, the company presented two products aimed at the fast-growing market for short-range counter-UAS systems. The first was the Skyfend Thunder interceptor drone. The second was the Skyfend Tracer Air II electronic reconnaissance platform. SKYFEND positioned the two systems as a combined response to increasingly agile and harder-to-track small drones operating in contested airspace.
Thunder is designed around an integrated artificial intelligence core. The company said that allows autonomous navigation, adaptive targeting and real-time data processing during an intercept mission. The aim is to reduce the need for continuous operator control once the drone is committed against a target. According to manufacturer specifications, Thunder has a successful engagement probability of at least 90% against loitering targets moving at speeds of up to 150 km/h. It has a tactical range of 5 km, a service ceiling of 3 km and a maximum interception speed of 230 km/h. The interceptor weighs about 3.5 kg and can remain airborne for up to seven minutes during interception operations. Those figures place it in the class of lightweight, point-defense systems intended to defeat small aerial threats before they reach higher-value assets.
Tracer Air II is the sensing layer of that package. The system operates across a 0.4-6 GHz frequency range and is designed to detect and geolocate UAV control links in complex electromagnetic environments. SKYFEND said it provides high-precision three-dimensional direction finding and positioning, a capability that is increasingly important as drone operators use crowded spectrum conditions to complicate detection. The system also uses AI-based visual recognition to identify and locate different signal sources and nodes, including first-person-view links, jammers, radar and communications equipment. That approach is intended to improve discrimination between threats and background emissions while supporting real-time tracking. According to the company, Tracer Air II can monitor at least six targets at the same time. Mounted on an SOA200 UAV platform, it can detect signals from a DJI RC Pro controller at ranges of up to 3 km and higher-power FPV links at up to 10 km under optimal conditions.
The two systems together reflect a broader shift in counter-drone warfare toward tightly linked detection, tracking and interception tools that can respond faster to low-cost aerial threats. For military users and security operators, the value lies in compressing the kill chain against small drones that are cheap to deploy but difficult to stop. If field performance matches the stated specifications, SKYFEND’s package could strengthen short-range air defense options against loitering and FPV-style threats.