The last line of defence – right on the soldier.

The small drone has become the deadliest weapon on today’s battlefield: drones cause 70–80% of personnel casualties¹. A soldier’s defensive chain – detection, identification, weapon selection, firing – is typically compressed into 4–5 seconds, of which the actual engagement window is only 2–3 seconds²; at night, when the main wave of attacks arrives, this chain practically collapses when it relies on human senses alone³.

Two complementary Hungarian patent applications together address this entire chain. “Smart Ear” – an AI-assisted passive acoustic sensor array distributed across the uniform – signals the drone’s direction of arrival, estimated distance and friend-or-foe classification through vibration while the drone is still below the threshold of human hearing, buying back seconds at the start of the chain. “Smart Ammo” – push-button mode switching between single-projectile and fragmentation effect without changing ammunition – shortens the end of the chain: by the time the drone comes within range, the weapon is already in fragmentation mode, ready for burst fire.

The integration is worth more than the sum of its parts. The dispersed pattern of the fragmentation round compensates for exactly the aiming uncertainty that is unavoidable at night or against fast-manoeuvring drones; the acoustically estimated distance can also control the timing of fragmentation; friendly-drone recognition prevents shooting down one’s own assets; and the systems of several soldiers form a distributed sensor–effector network that provides a clear situational picture and coordinated fire distribution even against drone swarms.

The solution fills precisely the capability gap that the profession identifies today at the lowest tier of layered counter-drone defence: kinetic defeat is the last line of defence, and it must be handled by a single soldier⁴; in 2026 the US Army specifically issued a requirement for acoustic drone detection for infantry soldiers⁵. The counter-drone market is set to grow to USD 11–15 billion by 2030⁶, and the EU’s drone defence initiative (EDDI) is creating multi-year procurement demand⁷.

Acquiring both portfolios together at an early (“early bird”) stage offers a unique position: the buyer can protect the sensor and the effector side as a single integrated system and – thanks to the early phase of the patent procedures – can still actively shape the direction and global coverage of protection, with effect retroactive to the original filing dates. This is an opportunity to lay the foundations of an international market monopoly extending over the coming decades.

Sources

1. Euromaidan Press (2025): Drones rack up 70% of losses in Ukraine – drones are responsible for 70–80% of personnel casualties. https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/06/14/drones-rack-up-70-of-troop-losses-in-the-ukraine-war-and-ais-killing-spree-will-make-it-worse/ ↩

2. Army Recognition (2025): Ukrainian Special Forces Reveal Shotgun Tactics Against Aerial Drones – shotgun defence is effective at 80–120 m, but the shooter has an engagement window of only 2–3 seconds. https://www.armyrecognition.com/focus-analysis-conflicts/army/defencesecurity-industry-technology/ukrainian-special-forces-reveal-shotgun-tactics-against-aerial-drones-relevant-to-u-s-and-nato ↩

3. Kyiv Post (2024): Russia’s Night Vision FPV Drones Pose a Serious New Threat; CSIS (2025): Drone Saturation – the main wave of Shahed attacks arrives at night. https://www.kyivpost.com/post/25459 | https://www.csis.org/analysis/drone-saturation-russias-shahed-campaign ↩

4. Global Defence Technology (2026): Facing the threat: drone defence doctrine – kinetic defeat is the last line of defence, which a single soldier must be able to handle. https://defence.nridigital.com/global_defence_technology_spr26/facing_the_threat_drone_defence_doctrine ↩

5. DefenseScoop (January 2026): Army seeks acoustic detection systems to counter small drones – the US Army is specifically seeking acoustic drone detection solutions for infantry soldiers. https://defensescoop.com/2026/01/21/army-counter-drone-small-uas-acoustic-detection-systems/ ↩

6. MarketsandMarkets (2025): Anti-Drone Market – USD 2.7 bn (2024) → USD 11–15 bn (2030), ~26% annual growth. https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/anti-drone.asp ↩

7. European Commission (February 2026): Action Plan on Drone and Counter-Drone Security – EUR 400 M for drone and counter-drone technology; European Drone Defence Initiative (EDDI). https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/commission-publishes-action-plan-drone-and-counter-drone-security-2026-02-11_en ↩