Chinese SKYFEND Presents Thunder Interceptor Drone and RER System at World Defense Show

At the World Defense Show 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Chinese company SKYFEND presented an interceptor drone and a drone equipped with a radio-electronic reconnaissance (RER) system.

Militarnyi’s correspondent reported on this.

Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Shenzhen, SKYFEND Technology specializes in developing counter-UAV technologies targeting small unmanned aerial vehicles.

The company shared that the Skyfend Thunder interceptor drone uses artificial intelligence for autonomous navigation and interception of aerial threats, including fixed-wing drones.

Guided by ground-based sensors, Thunder can independently calculate interception routes and approach targets. The system incorporates visual recognition algorithms and is designed to autonomously lock onto and intercept targets.

“Key features include a central artificial intelligence core with intelligent data processing, cost-effective threat response, and machine learning algorithms capable of adapting to new types of threats,” the company said.

According to the manufacturer, the probability of successful interception is at least 90% against loitering targets moving at speeds of up to 150 km/h. The maximum takeoff weight is 4 kg, and the maximum interception speed reaches 230 km/h. The cruising speed is 100 km/h.

The tactical range is 5 km, and the service ceiling is 3 km. The drone weighs 3.5 kg. Its dimensions are 731 × 731 × 448 mm with propellers and 420 × 420 × 448 mm without propellers. Flight endurance is up to 7 minutes.

Electronic Reconnaissance System

The Skyfend Tracer Air II is an electronic reconnaissance system designed to detect radiation sources across a frequency range of 0.4-6 GHz.
The company says the system provides high-precision three-dimensional direction finding, positioning, and AI-based visual recognition to detect communication channels of unmanned systems in complex electromagnetic environments.

The Tracer Air II can detect and localize UAV control channels in real time, including FPV links, electronic warfare systems, radar stations, and communication nodes.

The system supports autonomous mission management, real-time cloud connectivity, cloud-based operational planning, and AI-assisted targeting.

The carrier platform is the SOA200 UAV, with a total weight of 16.8 kg, including the battery, mounting system, radio detection module, and propellers. The video transmission range exceeds 8 km. Hover time is more than 30 minutes, and the maximum flight duration exceeds 32 minutes with the radio detection module installed.

The drone is equipped with a wide-angle camera with an 84-degree field of view and a STA200 radio detection module operating in the 0.4-6 GHz frequency range. The detection range is at least 3 km for DJI RC Pro controllers (FCC, 33 dBm at 2.4/5.8 GHz) and jamming sources, and at least 10 km for 1 W FPV controllers operating in the 0.4/0.9 GHz bands under line-of-sight conditions without electromagnetic interference.

The direction-finding error is less than 1.5–3.0 degrees, depending on the selected frequency band. The system can simultaneously track at least six targets.

Previously, the Ukrainian company SEE (System Electronic Export), together with NAUDI, presented the SEEDIS air target interception system at the World Defense Show.