DroneHammer Anti-Drone Missile Completes First Flight Tests

The DroneHammer anti-drone missile, developed by the newly formed German company Skylance, has successfully completed its first flight tests.

Skylance Managing Director Philipp Bohnet told this to Hartpunkt.

DroneHammer is a laser-guided missile designed to cost-effectively engage Class 1 drones (weighing less than 25 kg) at close range.

According to Bohnet, the missile has been further improved in recent months. It weighs approximately 700 g, is 70 cm long, and has a caliber of 70 mm. The company aims to reduce its size to 60 cm in length and 60 mm in diameter.

Individual component tests are underway to evaluate the functionality of the launcher, optics and warhead.

The full system is scheduled for testing at the Defense Technology Center in Manching by the end of the year, with development expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2026.

The DroneHammer concept was originally developed by two German companies, e-Wolf and WARGdrones, and was first publicly presented at the AFCEA exhibition in Bonn in late May 2025. Skylance, founded only days ago, will handle missile development.

In series production, one DroneHammer missile will cost several thousand euros. This will be achieved through the use of cost-effective, and in some cases unconventional, technologies and components.

The missile is guided by a simple optical sensor in its nose, requiring active laser illumination of the target.

A notable feature is its pneumatic warhead. Instead of explosives, it uses a compressed carbon dioxide cylinder to disperse fragments, creating an effect comparable to a shotgun blast. Bonet said static tests have already confirmed its effectiveness against Class 1 drones.

The solid-fuel rocket motor allows an interception speed of over 500 kilometers per hour and a range of more than 600 meters, with an interception time of three seconds. DroneHammer can be launched from the shoulder, as well as from ground robotic platforms and fighter drones.

Militarnyi previously has reported that Rheinmetall expects the German armed forces to order additional Skyranger self-propelled anti-aircraft systems worth six to eight billion euros by the end of 2025.