At Enforce Tac 2026 in Nuremberg, ParaZero Technologies Ltd. stepped into the spotlight with something that looks like a carbine but behaves like a flying trap, as Defense Advancement reports. It is called DefendAir. And instead of bullets, it fires a net.
A Carbine That Shoots a Net, Not a Bullet
The DefendAir Personal Net Gun is not a firearm. It is a 3D printed launcher shaped like a compact rifle, complete with fixed stock, pistol grip, trigger, and NATO accessory rails for optics and foregrips. It measures 750 mm long, weighs just 1.7 kg, and is built for squad level mobility.
The magic sits at the muzzle.
Each disposable “pod” weighs 40 grams and contains a 5 by 5 meter net made of nylon or Dyneema. Four weighted corners ensure the net wraps cleanly around the target drone. Once fired, a non explosive inflator system, similar in concept to automotive airbag deployment, generates rapidly expanding nitrogen gas that launches the net. Full deployment happens in under one second.
Effective range is up to 35 meters.
Once entangled, the drone’s rotors freeze. Gravity finishes the job.
Reload time is under three seconds.
It is mechanical poetry with a simple ending.
100 Percent Interceptions and a 70 MPH Catch
ParaZero says DefendAir has achieved 100 percent interception rates in multiple field trials, including against high speed FPV attack drones and heavy lift platforms.
In a recent internal live test, the system intercepted a drone traveling at 70 mph. That matters. FPV kamikaze drones are fast, low, and unpredictable. Catching one with a net is like throwing a bedsheet over a hornet in mid charge.
According to CEO Ariel Alon, this marks the first successful net based interception at that speed by the company. The test simulated a realistic combat scenario with a fast approaching aerial threat targeting ground forces.
DefendAir is designed as a soft kill system. No explosives. No fragmentation. Minimal collateral damage. In urban environments or near critical infrastructure, that distinction is everything.
A Multi Layered C UAS Platform Expands Into Europe
DefendAir is not just a handheld net gun.
ParaZero offers a layered architecture that includes portable personal launchers, stationary 360 degree turrets, and drone mounted interception systems capable of pursuing hostile UAVs in the air. The same interception pods can be adapted across configurations, creating a modular defense ecosystem.
Following successful demonstrations to German law enforcement and senior NATO officers in late 2025, ParaZero showcased the system at Enforce Tac as part of the Israeli National Pavilion. The company has already secured reseller agreements and initial orders from NATO countries in Western Europe.
Back home, a second branch of an Israeli defense entity recently placed an additional order for the DefendAir system. The contract includes specialized launchers, interception pods for handheld and mounted configurations, and a full training package with simulation and live fire modules.
The message is clear. Net based interception is no longer a novelty. It is becoming doctrine.
As drone threats multiply across battlefields and civilian infrastructure, the appeal of a non explosive, rapidly deployable countermeasure grows stronger. In a world of high tech jamming and missile interceptors, DefendAir takes a surprisingly direct approach.
Throw a net.
Let physics handle the rest.
DroneXL’s Take
The counter drone market is crowded with jammers, lasers, and kinetic interceptors, but DefendAir stands out because it solves a modern problem with mechanical clarity. No RF guesswork. No expensive missile per shot. Just entanglement.
For military units, law enforcement, and infrastructure security teams operating in dense environments, that simplicity could be decisive.
The real question now is scale. Can ParaZero ramp production and secure broader NATO adoption before competitors refine similar net based systems?
If the 70 mph interception and 100 percent field trial claims hold up under independent scrutiny, DefendAir may become one of the most practical soft kill tools in the C UAS toolbox.
Sometimes the future of air defense looks less like science fiction and more like a well aimed fishing cast.
Photo credit: Parazero
