🇺🇸 WASHINGTON, DC · 🇮🇱 TEL AVIV, IL

Operation
Northern Shield

An accelerated 30-day program to identify, integrate, and demonstrate layered Israeli solutions against the most pressing drone threat in the current battlespace: fiber optic-guided UAVs immune to RF jamming and electronic warfare.

C-UAS Anti-Fiber Optic Drone Rapid Integration IDF-Connected
The Threat
Why Fiber Optic Drones Change Everything

Fiber optic-guided UAVs operate without any RF signal, rendering conventional electronic warfare, GPS jamming, and signal-based countermeasures completely ineffective. Current Israeli border communities and forward positions face an evolving threat that legacy C-UAS solutions cannot address. This program seeks technologies that fill that gap.


The Three-Layer Framework

If you have a solution that touches any part of the counter-drone problem, we want you in the room. There are no wrong doors here.

No single technology defeats this threat alone. A real, deployable answer requires multiple layers working together, with redundancy at each layer so that if one sensor or one effector fails, the system still holds. That means we need detection from multiple modalities, command and control that can fuse them, and more than one option to neutralize the threat once it's identified.

Whether you own a piece of Detect, Track and C2, or Intercept, bring what you have. The goal of this session is to see how your piece fits with everyone else's, and to build a complete solution out of the technologies already sitting in Israeli garages, labs, and warehouses today. We are looking for all three layers, and we welcome every contribution along the chain.

01
Detect
Initial non-RF threat identification
Acoustic signatures · Electromagnetic motor interference · Optical / thermal sensors · LiDAR
02
Track & C2
Command, control & sensor fusion
Sensor fusion software · Automated tracking algorithms · Integrated tactical interfaces
03
Intercept
Kinetic or physical neutralization
Hard-kill systems · Interceptor drones · Localized physical countermeasures

Program Timeline
● Tuesday, May 26 · 16:00 Tel Aviv
16:00
Doors Open
Arrival, check-in, and informal introductions among participating teams.
16:30
Opening Remarks & Problem Statement
Leadership from Unit 150, the IDF formation tasked with addressing the fiber-optic drone threat, will frame the operational problem, walk through what has been tried, and identify where current solutions fall short. Followed by brief introductions from each participating company.
17:15
Connecting Solutions: Breakout Working Session
Participants break into working teams organized around the three layers (Detect, Track and C2, Intercept) to map technologies against the problem statement and begin forming integrated solution proposals.
20:00
Final Call for Solution Teams
Formed teams submit their proposed integrated solutions. Submissions, along with team contact information, will be delivered directly to the IDF units present for immediate follow-up.
Who Should Apply
TRL 5+ TechnologyNo science projects. Demonstrate something real within 30 days.
Layer-ReadyYou know which layer you own: Detect, C2, or Intercept.
Non-RF Detection or DefeatYour system does not rely on jamming or RF-based countermeasures.
Israeli-BasedIsraeli defense-tech startup or SME with existing IP and team.
Integration-MindedWilling to expose APIs/interfaces and work with complementary vendors.
Path to DeploymentSolution has a viable route to field deployment within 30 days of successful test.
Audience & Stakeholders

Demonstrations will be conducted before representatives from the Israel Defense Forces, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Economy, Northern border municipalities, and select U.S. and Israeli defense investors.

Sign up for the kickoff on Tuesday, May 26 at 16:00 in Tel aviv below

Calendar invites with. exact location will be sent after signup. Participant names will need to be provided to security to let you in so if you intend to come please sign up.