DARPA reveals 'fishing net' that can catch drones in sky

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has made a system that can catch drones mid-flight. Instead of risking damage when drones need to land in battlefields or on US Navy Ships, the DARPA SideArm capture system can retrieve drones up to 1100 pounds (500 kg) in weight. The system can fit in a shipping container and can be set up and operated by two to four people, enabling the SideArm to be portable. In December 2016, the system was tested with a 400-pound (181 kg) Lockheed Martin Fury Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) drone. Aurora Flight Sciences, who tested the SideArm, accelerated the drone to speeds that it would fly at using an external catapult.