America's New FPV Drone to Gate-crash Enemy UAVs Party

The U.S. military is preparing to field a new first-person-view (FPV) drone designed to physically intercept hostile unmanned aircraft, as part of a $5.2 million agreement aimed at countering hostile drones.

The Joint Interagency Task Force 401 finalized an agreement to provide U.S. forces with the Bumblebee V2 counter-drone system, a kinetic interceptor. Deliveries of the system are scheduled to begin in March, the War Department announced today.

The Bumblebee V2 is a multirotor FPV drone designed to defeat small hostile UASs through direct physical collision, while cutting costs. In this drone-on-drone engagement, it intercepts the target in flight, rendering both aircraft inoperable. The approach is intended to limit collateral damage by avoiding the use of explosives or wide-area effects, making it suitable for protecting deployed forces and sensitive infrastructure.

Operational assessment of the system will be conducted by the U.S. Army’s Global Response Force in support of the Lt. Gen. James M. Gavin Joint Innovation Outpost, a recently established initiative focused on accelerating the deployment of new technologies to rapidly deployable units. The evaluation will examine whether the system meets operational requirements for forces expected to respond quickly to high-risk missions worldwide.

“The Bumblebee V2 is fully [National Defense Authorization Act]-compliant and is equipped with software that allows it to identify, track and collide with other drones,” said Army Maj. Cole Price, assistant capability manager at Joint Interagency Task Force 401. “This provides a crucial capability for our forces to counter the growing threat of autonomous systems.”