The Army is working to develop a net gun to catch suspicious drones and bring them to the ground before they can do damage.
According to Army Times, the Army received a patent for a net gun that can be fired from a standard 40mm grenade launcher. The weapon would be the size of a grenade and the net would open midair to ensnare the target drone.
The threat of drones has concerned members of the military and law enforcement in recent years because the technology is available to the general public at a low price. In 2016, militant fighters used drones with hand grenades to attack coalition forces in Iraq.
The recent Army patent indicates the military is serious about combating drones at a low cost to taxpayers, since using missiles that cost more than a million dollars does not make fiscal sense.
"The results of initial testing show that the warhead of this invention can be launched (currently in a 40 mm configuration) and can successfully engage a UAS threat," the patent reads. "The performance of this invention goes further than any previous system proposed which merely launches a net directly at a UAS."
The Department of Defense requested $9.39 billion for air, ground, and sea drones for fiscal year 2019, which amounted to 3,447 units.
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