The Israeli startups thwarting the threat of Iran’s drone campaigns
While the Iranian missile threat has diminished since the start of Operation Roaring Lion, suicide drone saturation campaigns remain a critical challenge for the Gulf states and Israel. Here are some of the local defense tech companies developing the tech solutions to track and neutralize hostile UAVs.
In recent days, the most serious emerging threat to the Gulf states and Israel has been the suicide drones launched by Iran at airports, civilian buildings, energy facilities, and military bases. Although the Iranian missile campaign is dwindling, suicide drones have become their most effective and readily available weapon. While interception efforts are bearing fruit, some of the destructive payloads from these swarming suicide drone campaigns have still managed to penetrate defenses, causing damage to property and life.
Recent data across three GCC cases reiterates the contrast between the Iranian regime's waning missile capabilities, which have declined by approximately 89 percent, and its sustained drone campaigns.
While the IDF relies on established heavyweights like IAI, Elbit, Rafael, Aeronautics, and UVision for its aerial defense matrix, a plethora of burgeoning Israeli startups are specifically further targeting the threat of rogue drones. These firms are bolstering the aerospace, defense, and homeland security sectors with specialized technologies designed to detect, track, and neutralize unauthorized UAVs. Here are some of the local companies developing the tech solutions to thwart these threats amid Operation Roaring Lion.
D-Fend Solutions
Year of Founding: 2017
Last Investment Round: $31M
Last Investment Stage: B
Date of Last Investment: December 2024
Total investment to Date: $65M
Founders: Zohar Halachmi, Yoram Oron, Assaf Monsa, Yaniv Benbenisti
D-Fend Solutions is a counter-drone, cyber-takeover technology provider known for its flagship platform, EnforceAir, which utilizes Radio Frequency (RF) cyber-takeover techniques to target drone threats across military, public safety, airport, and critical infrastructure environments. The technology allows operators to neutralize drones by taking control of the aircraft without causing collateral damage or disrupting surrounding communications. Outside of Israel, EnforceAir has been adopted by U.S. government agencies, the U.S. military, and international airports.
Founded in 2017 with operations across the U.S., Europe, and Asia, the company most recently raised $31 million in a funding round in December 2024. The round was led by Israel Growth Partners (IGP) with participation from Vertex Ventures and Vertex Growth. As of 2024, the company employed approximately 180 people in Israel and internationally.
Sentrycs
Year of Founding: 2015
Last Investment Stage: Acquired (Ondas Holdings)
Founders: Gilad Sahar and Niv Magen
Sentrycs provides counter-drone solutions through "Protocol Manipulation," also known as "Cyber over RF technology." Designed for airports, borders, prisons, critical infrastructure, and large public events, the technology passively detects, tracks, identifies, and mitigates unauthorized drones if necessary.
Formerly known as Convexum, Sentrycs was initially acquired by TREO Asset Management, a U.S. based special situations asset manager, for $29 million in 2022. At the time, the company was restructured under then-CEO Yoav Zaltzman and then-COO Tal Cohen (now CEO), and rebranded to Sentrycs in April 2023. Most recently, Sentrycs was acquired by U.S. robotics and defense technology group Ondas Holdings for $225 million in November 2025.
ApolloShield
Year of Founding: 2015
Last Investment Round: $2.5M
Last Investment Stage: Seed
Date of Last Investment: October 2016
Total investment to Date: $2.62M
Founders: Nimo (Nimrod) Shkedy and Gilad Beeri
Unauthorized drone deterrence company ApolloShield offers a system that detects unwanted drones using a multitude of technologies, including cameras, audio sensors, and radio sensors. The system is able to issue a "go home" command, effectively disconnecting the drone from its original operator and forcing it to land safely.
ApolloShield was originally incorporated as Airfence Inc., rebranding in late 2016. The relatively small company is now listed in a "mature" stage after holding only two funding rounds, including an initial grant of $120,000 in 2016 and a later $2.5 million Seed round. Investors in the company include a collection of U.S. firms: Root Ventures, FoundersX Ventures, and AltaIR Capital, alongside the Israeli angel investor Igor Ryabenkiy.
Vorpal
Year of Founding: 2009
Last Investment Round: Undisclosed
Last Investment Stage: Seed
Date of Last Investment: March 2018
Total investment to Date: Undisclosed
Founders: Nir Raz and Liron Raz
Vorpal develops VigilAir, a non-transmitting, radio frequency (RF) based solution for both locating and mitigating drone threats. The company enhances airspace and perimeter safety while bolstering operations within Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) frameworks by providing long-range situational awareness, identifying and tracking drones and their operators through passive geolocating RF.
Listed at a "mature" stage in its investment cycle, the company was backed by the Israeli firm Gefen Capital in March 2018 during its seed and only funding round to date. In December 2019, Vorpal participated in the Florida-Israel Business Accelerator (FIBA) as part of the non-profit economic development engine’s third batch.
Crosense Technologies
Year of Founding: 2024
Last Investment Round: $3.5M
Last Investment Stage: Seed
Date of Last Investment: Feb 2025
Total investment to Date: $3.5M
Founders: Gil Zwirn, Ran Amir and Shay Caspi
Crosense Technologies is developing a class of electronically steered antenna (ESA) systems designed for high-precision detection and tracking of drones. Intended to secure critical infrastructure like airports and military bases, the all-weather, 24/7 hermetic coverage provided by its system offers accurate, scalable, and cost-effective detection across all terrains.
Crosense secured a Seed funding round in February 2025 from Israeli satellite networking and services company Gilat Satellite Networks, which announced an investment of up to $3.5 million in a round co-led by Frontier Capital, as Gilat looked to expand its homeland security and defense footprint.
Dr. Frucht Systems (DFSL)
Year of Founding: 1995
Last Investment Round: N/A
Last Investment Stage: N/A
Date of Last Investment: N/A
Total investment to date: N/A
Founders: Dr. Yaacov Frucht
Established by Dr. Yaacov Frucht, a former Directorate Manager and research engineer at Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Dr. Frucht Systems (DFSL) specializes in perimeter scanning products and systems utilizing LADAR/LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology. DFSL has developed a mini-drone detector utilizing a unique AI algorithm and a proprietary laser scanner, which has sold 2,000 units globally.
Active for three decades, the Acco-based firm has sustained itself as a small business operation, securing research and development grants from various government bodies. Throughout the 2025 Israel-Iran war, Operation Rising Lion, the company also received financial support through the Koret Foundation, a philanthropic organization that supports Israel through grantmaking as part of its mission to foster innovation and strengthen U.S.-Israel ties.
SkyLock Systems
Year of Founding: 2018
Last Investment Round: N/A
Last Investment Stage: Pre-Funding
Date of Last Investment: N/A
Total investment to Date: N/A
Founders: Avnon Group
Drone threat prevention solutions company SkyLock Systems, part of the Avnon Group, has developed a suite of systems for use in a variety of scenarios in the fight against drone attacks and the evolving threats they pose. The solutions are aimed at protecting individuals, facilities, and governments, including for homeland security, border protection, critical assets, airport security, as well as VIP and convoy protection.
In September 2024, it was announced SkyLock would merge with the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange shell company Technoplus Ventures at a valuation of 70 million shekels (approximately $19 million), with The Avnon Group continuing to hold 70% of the merged company. That same year, SkyLock sold its subsidiary MyDefense, which produced drone interception systems, to the Bridgepoint fund for NIS 480 million. SkyLock retained its development activities, focusing on integrating its technology into systems purchased from other companies.
Insignito Solutions
Year of Founding: 2022
Last Investment Round: Undisclosed
Last Investment Stage: Pre-Funding
Date of Last Investment: Sep 2025
Total investment to Date: Undisclosed
Founders: Itay Nourian, Yarden Eilat and Dor Ruf
Insignito is a startup specializing in advanced drone detection and acoustic solutions. Their flagship system, Dumbo, leverages AI and proprietary acoustic modeling to detect, track, and classify drones even under challenging conditions. The startup, established in 2022, has already won a contract to deploy 180 units of its Dumbo System to protect sensitive VIP facilities in Israel.
CTech spoke to Insignito founder Itay Nourian in February 2026 at the Defense Tech Expo in Tel Aviv, where he explained the motivation behind Insignito to overcome “one of the biggest problems in drone detection” by finding solutions that can be cost-effective. The call to arms for the team, already experts in drone acoustics, came in the aftermath of October 7, after this realization that the decisions around expenses of defense systems were creating dangerous vulnerabilities.
