China leads world in anti-drone patents with US and South Korea far behind, law firm finds

2026.03.17 13:20 A police officer presents an anti-drone gun during the Railway Police Open Day at Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan, Hubei province. Photo: Getty Images China leads the world in patent applications for anti-drone technology, which has drawn heightened attention during the wars in Ukraine and Iran and a spate of suspicious sightings in the West, according to intellectual property law firm Mathys & Squire. Patent applications for anti-drone systems rose 27 per cent over the past year, with China submitting 82 compared with 22 from the US, the second-largest filer, the 115-year-old UK-based law firm said on Monday. South Korea ranked third with six applications. Drones “transformed” modern warfare in Ukraine, while conflicts around the Persian Gulf showed the “limits of using expensive pre-drone era interceptor missiles”, Mathys & Squire said. Laser, microwave and jamming were the most common anti-drone technologies pursued. “The sharp rise in patents filed reflects growing global demand for systems capable of disabling or neutralising drones, whose use has expanded rapidly,” the law firm said. “Suspicious” drone sightings in Europe and the US added urgency, raising concerns about exposure to attacks on civilian and defence infrastructure, it added. Anti-drone technology was increasingly being developed for airports, seaports, prisons, energy infrastructure and public events, Mathys & Squire said. “With drone disruptions affecting sensitive sites and infrastructure, organisations are racing to develop reliable countermeasures,” law firm partner Andrew White said. The law firm added that technologies capable of “rapidly” disabling or disrupting drones, such as signal interference, “appear to be in increasing demand” following disruptions at airports. China likely wanted the patents to help prepare for any future military conflict as well as to export the technology, said Chen Zhiwu, chair professor of finance at the University of Hong Kong. Shenzhen-based

原文链接: 南华早报