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Small drones have become one of the most challenging threats facing security forces in recent years. Their compact size, low-altitude flight profiles, and minimal signatures make them difficult for conventional detection systems to identify, particularly when dealing with platforms that do not transmit radio signals or operate in electronically congested environments. As a result, there is growing demand for technologies capable of detecting threats well before they approach personnel or critical infrastructure, providing valuable additional warning time.
Against this backdrop, it was recently reported that the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have acquired drone detection systems from Israeli startup Pixel Sight. According to the report, the systems are currently undergoing field evaluations to assess their suitability for operational deployment and their ability to provide early warning to forces in the field.
The company’s solution is built around a two-layer architecture that combines optical sensing with artificial intelligence. The first layer, EdgeSight, is a completely passive optical sensing unit that emits no electromagnetic radiation. Rather than relying on radar or RF signal detection, it analyzes the visual and physical signatures of small objects, enabling it to distinguish between drones, birds, vehicles, and people. Its real-time classification capability helps reduce false alarms while improving detection reliability.
The second layer, OmniSight, aggregates data from multiple sensors, performs data fusion, and generates a unified operational picture. By combining information from multiple sensing nodes, the system can continuously track targets, display their locations in real time, and accelerate the decision-making process. Despite its high level of automation, the final decision to initiate a response remains with the human operator.
According to the company, the system is capable of detecting attack UAVs at ranges exceeding three kilometers. It has also been designed for seamless integration with existing command-and-control and detection systems through open APIs, allowing operators to enhance their capabilities without replacing their current infrastructure.
While many counter-drone systems continue to rely primarily on radar or radio-frequency signal detection, optical solutions such as this provide an additional sensing layer that may prove effective against quiet drones or platforms that emit no RF signals at all. Combining optical sensing with radar and other sensors as part of a multi-sensor fusion architecture is becoming an increasingly common approach in Counter-UAS (C-UAS) systems, extending detection ranges, improving target classification accuracy, and providing security forces with more time to respond to evolving aerial threats.
