Motorola Solutions will acquire D-Fend Solutions, an Israeli private company that developed technology to take control of unauthorized drones mid-flight, for $1.5 billion, the companies said. The transaction is aimed at responding to an uptick in incidents involving rogue drones and the resulting demand from governments and operators of critical infrastructure.
D-Fend, founded in 2016, uses radio waves to seize control of drones rather than relying on signal jamming or kinetic measures. Its principal product, EnforceAir, is in use in more than 30 countries, including NATO members, to protect military zones, airports and other sensitive sites. The company also supplies systems to U.S. federal agencies, specifically the departments of Homeland Security, Defense and Justice.
Motorola highlighted recent disruptions - including attacks on key infrastructure in the context of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and airport shutdowns in Europe - as evidence that simple detection systems are no longer sufficient and that operators need tools that can intercept drones without causing collateral damage. The passage of the Safer Skies Act last year, which allows certified state and local police officers to actively hijack and safely land unauthorized drones, has also helped create demand for drone-takeover solutions like those offered by D-Fend.
"Rogue drones have transformed our skies into a landscape of unpredictable risk, where simple detection is no longer enough," Motorola Solutions Chief Executive and Chairman Greg Brown said in a statement on Monday.
The deal extends Motorola's capability set in the unmanned aircraft systems domain, following its $4.4 billion acquisition last year of Silvus, a provider of secure communications and networking for drones. Together, the two acquisitions give Motorola both drone communications and anti-drone technology.
Motorola said the D-Fend acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026. The company reported that D-Fend has delivered annual revenue growth exceeding 50% over the past three years, and that full-year 2026 revenue for D-Fend is expected to reach $185 million.
Industry estimates cited in the announcement place the anti-drone market at $2.47 billion in 2026, with a projection to grow to $8.42 billion by 2031. Motorola positioned the purchase as a strategic response to both market demand and a changing operational environment where non-destructive countermeasures are increasingly required to protect critical sites.
The acquisition underscores the intersection of defense-oriented electronics, government procurement and critical infrastructure protection. For Motorola, the addition of D-Fend’s takeover technology complements existing drone networking assets and expands the company’s addressable market among public-sector and infrastructure customers.