German company Rheinmetall has signed a partnership agreement with Australia’s Praetorian Aeronautics to develop the mobile AERIE air defence system designed to counter drones.
This is stated according to a Rheinmetall press release.
The system prototype was developed from the initial concept in just 12 months. AERIE is an autonomous C-UAS launcher capable of using different types of interceptors.
The system can carry more than 20 interceptors. It is housed in a standard shipping container, providing high mobility and the ability to deploy quickly.
The demonstrator is equipped with the Arrow interceptor and Praetorian Aeronautics’ Hadrian command-and-control system. Both systems were developed and manufactured in Australia.
Arrow is an autonomous, high-speed and relatively low-cost interceptor designed to destroy various types of uncrewed systems beyond line of sight.
The Hadrian C2 system uses elements of artificial intelligence and is intended to control autonomous strike assets in the air, land and maritime domains.
According to the developers, AERIE is intended to be an effective and cost-efficient solution for countering cheap drones. The system is designed for rapid deployment and reloading.
Full-scale demonstrations of AERIE for potential operators are planned for the fourth quarter of 2026.
- On 1 October, Rheinmetall, together with its Italian subsidiary Argotec, successfully placed into Earth orbit the first reconnaissance satellite developed as part of the collaboration.