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Smart Shield // integrated personal counter-drone defence

The last line of defence – right on the soldier.

Two complementary Hungarian patent applications provide a closed chain from detection to effective fire: Smart Ear buys back seconds at the start of the chain, Smart Ammo shortens its end.

of personnel casualties are caused by drones
70–80%
actual engagement window
2–3 s
counter-drone market by 2030
USD 11–15 bn
DOC-03 // technology summaryv1.00

The “Smart Shield” project

integrated personal counter-drone system (“Smart Ear” + “Smart Ammo”)

Hungarian original (PDF)

The integration principle: a closed detect–decide–engage chain

“Smart Shield” closes the entire chain of individual defence against drones on a single soldier: “Smart Ear” detects and provides direction, “Smart Ammo” is the means of effect. The common point of the two systems is the weapon: the “Smart Ear” display can be mounted on the weapon, and the “Smart Ammo” mode selector is built into the weapon – so the soldier receives the information and makes the engagement decision on a single interface.

Sensor side (“Smart Ear”)

Four MEMS microphone modules distributed across the uniform form a long-baseline sensor array; an 8-bit quantised neural network running on a low-power embedded controller filters battlefield noise while preserving engine-sound characteristics, and gives a directionally accurate vibration warning while the drone is still below the threshold of human hearing. The system separates multiple drones by their engine-sound signatures, recognises the encrypted friendly-drone signal without a network, and estimates the drone’s spatial position by weighted triangulation from the GNSS coordinates of several wearers. Total power consumption is 3–5 W, and the display refreshes every 20–50 ms.

Effector side (“Smart Ammo”)

In addition to the sub-assembly that fires the cartridge, the firing mechanism of the small arm contains a sub-assembly that changes the properties of the ammunition: depending on the position of the mode selector, the same cartridge acts as a single projectile or as a fragmentation round – on a purely mechanical principle, without a power source or jammable electronics, and suitable for burst fire. The adapter version allows the existing weapon inventory to be “smartened up” retroactively, while the electromechanical and intelligent versions accept controlled projectile behaviour and external control.

Integration points

  1. Common user interface: direction, distance and classification are indicated at the same place where the mode switch takes place.
  2. The acoustically estimated distance provides input for timing the fragmentation delay.
  3. Friend-or-foe classification supports fire authorisation, preventing friendly drones from being shot down.
  4. In the electromechanical “Smart Ammo” version, threat classification can drive an automatic mode recommendation or switch.
  5. As a distributed sensor–effector network, the systems of several soldiers provide coordinated defence even against a drone swarm.

The dispersed pattern compensates for exactly the aiming uncertainty against night-time and fast-manoeuvring targets, as confirmed by battlefield experience with shotgun defence1.

Robustness, night-time and civilian capability

Both ends of the chain are jam-resistant: detection is passive (it does not emit, cannot be located and also works against fibre-optic drones), and engagement is mechanically based (it cannot be jammed and does not run out of power). Passive acoustics are independent of light, so the system is fully capable at night, in fog and in smoke – in line with the US Army’s requirement for acoustic detection for infantry soldiers2. Conditioned on other target sounds, the sensor branch is also suitable for disaster-relief victim search3, and the complete system can be used for law-enforcement and facility-protection tasks.

Sources

  1. 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 ↩

  2. 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/ ↩

  3. Savox: Delsar LifeDetector – a seismic/acoustic victim-search instrument used by FEMA/INSARAG rescue teams. https://www.savox.com/products/fire-and-rescue-systems/delsar ↩

Contact

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