Rohde & Schwarz unveils the capabilities of its ARDRONIS Effect C-UAV jammer

Rohde & Schwarz announced the official market launch of its ARDRONIS Effect counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (C-UAV) jammer on 3 April 2025.

The system is, in fact, already field-proven and in service with undisclosed customers in Europe, but this is the first time Rohde & Schwarz has been at liberty to publicise its capabilities.

ARDRONIS Effect, the company noted, was developed in response to the rapidly evolving UAV/loitering munition (LM) threats observed in conflicts around the world. The system can successfully disrupt jam-resistant UAVs/LMs “or even armed drone swarms, even in the most contested and congested operating environment”.

Controlled by proprietary Rohde & Schwarz ARDRONIS Control Center software, ARDRONIS Effect can be operated in a standalone configuration or combined with any of the standard systems from the ARDRONIS family (ARDRONIS stands for Automatic Radio-Controlled Drone Identification Solution). These include the ARDRONIS Detect, ARDRONIS Locate Compact and ARDRONIS Locate Advanced systems, which when combined can detect, identify, track (both drone and pilot) and ultimately disrupt threats at the earliest opportunity.

ARDRONIS Effect can also be networked into any open counter-UAV system of systems thanks to its open architecture and ease of integration.

Jan Link, Rohde & Schwarz’s product manager for C-UAV solutions, noted that first-person view (FPV) drone attacks across the modern battlespace have changed dramatically in recent years, specifically in terms of the type and number of radio frequencies used to control them. C-UAV operators thus “need to have the capability to jam every potential frequency, even during swarm attacks with multiple drones operating on different frequencies” said Link.

“The main challenge of ARDRONIS Effect is to jam a wide area but in a way that is effective enough to stop the operation of weaponised FPVs or intelligence-gathering drones,” Link continued. “This requires ARDRONIS Effect to jam simultaneously on multiple bands at high output power across the entire spectrum without gaps in time and frequency.”

The ARDRONIS Effect system is designed to support a variety of use cases. Examples include force protection of light to heavy armoured vehicles, convoys and surface vessels; perimeter protection of headquarters, airfields and operating bases; and the protection of critical national infrastructure, including power plants, oil and gas refineries and maritime terminals.