ELT Group launches new AI-based KARMA counter-UAV system

Defence electronics house ELT Group has launched a new rapidly deployable, artificial intelligence (AI)-based counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (C-UAV) system called the Kinetic Anti-drone Mobile Asset (KARMA), the company announced on 16 April 2025.

Capable of detecting, recognising and identifying Class 1 and 2 UAVs through AI algorithms that increase the effectiveness of onboard sensors and effectors and thus system performance, the KARMA system is designed to ensure protection against possible threats to both military assets and critical infrastructure. The system is an evolution of the first product in ELT Group’s C-UAV family, ADRIAN (Anti Drone Interception Acquisition Neutralisation), which has been on the market since 2015.

The main features of the KARMA system are:

• A radarless approach that makes the system electromagnetically silent, in response to the paradigm shift required by the new geopolitical and military environment;
• A track-while-scan functionality that provides continuous 360° surveillance thanks to an infra-red camera system and its integration with AI processing algorithms implemented in the system’s command and control (C2);
• A C2 set-up with a simple and intuitive human-machine interface (HMI) to supervise all sensors and provide a complete picture, the novelty of which is its implementation of complex AI algorithms to optimise detection, recognition and identification and provide the C-UAV operator with the most complete and reliable local air picture (LAP) possible. Threat designation data can also be sent to the federated fire control system (of the platform), the operator of which is entrusted with the ultimate option of a possible hard-kill counter-action.

KARMA provides a radio frequency (RF) sensor capable of detecting and identifying the RF communication protocols of UAVs in order to extrapolate from them the information essential to counter them. The system is equipped with a jammer module capable of transmitting RF jamming signals towards intercepted UAVs and is designed for an operational scenario characterised by an attack comprising several UAVs.

KARMA is a modular, scalable solution that can be integrated into a more complex air defence network and adapted to the specific needs of various end users. The system allows continuous real-time monitoring of airspace to counter threats from UAVs in both military and civil environments.

The system can also be deployed on both military (legacy or new) and civil vehicles for the protection of large areas of territory (border control) or critical infrastructure and can operate with a wide range of sensors and effectors.