A system from the Turkish defense and electronics giant Aselsan successfully neutralized 51 drones within seconds, the company said on Sunday.

During a test in which 51 drones were launched simultaneously to mark the firm's 51st anniversary, the Ejderha high-power electromagnetic (HPEM) UAV defense system simultaneously neutralized all targets within seconds, according to the statement by the company.

Producing high-power electromagnetic waves through vacuum electronics technology, the system initially neutralized two different tethered drones from a distance of approximately 1,000 meters. The test demonstrated that Ejderha can also provide protection against tethered drones, which conventional counter-UAV systems are unable to counter.

In the second phase, Ejderha ("Dragon") neutralized the threat posed by drone swarms, which represents a major security risk nowadays.

Accordingly, under a multithreat scenario, Ejderha simultaneously neutralized all the airborne drones within seconds.

'A first'

Developed to detect and neutralize mini and micro-class UAV threats and designed to operate within Türkiye's national, layered air defense architecture, Steel Dome, Ejderha, has like this, enabled Aselsan to achieve a first in the field of counterelectronic warfare systems.

"Aselsan's Ejderha system has become the world's first system capable of taking down 51 drones with a single push of a button, without firing a missile or using any ammunition," Aselsan CEO Ahmet Akyol said.

"With its high-power electromagnetic waves, Ejderha has become one of the most effective systems for destroying drones, one of the greatest threats of our time," he maintained.

"This achievement has been made possible by the experience Aselsan has accumulated over the past 50 years, its young engineering workforce, the direction set by our state and the continuous support of our nation," he added.

"As a result of these efforts, Ejderha has now become an operational technology, entered mass production and reached a level at which it can contribute to our country's security. We will continue developing these technologies," Akyol said.

Next-generation solutions against emerging threats

Offering a layered protection approach through counterelectronic warfare systems, covering everything from threat detection to neutralization, Aselsan targets the electronic systems of UAVs with Ejderha, one of the components of this approach.

Equipped with radar for active detection, electro-optical systems for target tracking and precision guidance capabilities, Ejderha can suppress, restart, neutralize, or damage threats containing electronic circuits.

Meanwhile, the Ejderha HPEM system has so far successfully demonstrated its capabilities in detection, tracking, guidance and neutralization under field conditions on numerous occasions against various targets, including mini and micro UAVs, low-altitude fixed-wing UAVs, tethered and wireless first-person-view (FPV) drones, and UAVs powered by internal combustion engines.