Sky's limit for Yunxiang's anti-drone tech

Tianjin Yunxiang UAV Technology Co Ltd is emerging as a global front-runner in anti-drone technologies, driven by rising security concerns and the country's booming low-altitude economy.

"If drones are the spear, anti-drones are the shield," said Chen Ling, general manager of Yunxiang, in an interview with China Daily. The company, with a strong technological background in anti-drone applications, has been gaining momentum in civil anti-drones with its advanced equipment widely used by major companies like State Grid.

"As unauthorized drone flights become more frequent near sensitive infrastructure, it has become increasingly important for Chinese companies to deploy sophisticated counter-drone systems at speed and scale."

Chen said that China's expanding edge in anti-drone capabilities is underpinned by advances in radar, electromagnetic interference and artificial intelligence-powered sensor fusion.

"Domestic systems now compete with — and in some cases outpace — foreign counterparts, especially in the detection and disruption of 'low, slow and small' unmanned aerial vehicles," he added.

At the heart of Yunxiang's portfolio is a next-generation portable jammer that fits into a backpack but packs a potent punch. It is able to detect drones by analyzing communication signals between drones and their controllers.

It can jam controls, video transmission and navigation signals, forcing rogue drones to return or land. The system can also emit decoyed navigation data to protect multiple navigation constellations, including the Beidou navigation satellite system, GPS and Galileo.

"This product integrates signal analysis, decryption, directional positioning and multilayer interference in a single platform. Its commercial and defense applications are expanding rapidly," Chen said.

China's domestic drone sector is already the world's largest. The Civil Aviation Administration of China said that over 608,000 drones were newly registered in the first half of 2024 — a 48 percent increase since the end of 2023 — bringing the total to well over 1.4 million registered units.

The rapid scale-up is fueling demand for countermeasures. China's anti-drone market grew from just 91 million yuan ($12.5 million) in 2014 to 1.13 billion yuan in 2023, and is projected to exceed 2.4 billion yuan this year. Industry analysts expect Chinese firms to capture a growing share of the global counter-UAV market as exports rise and technology matures.

"Chinese systems are no longer just catching up — they are setting benchmarks, particularly in radar and AI-enabled defense networks," Chen said. China's advancements in swarm defense, urban low-altitude management and integrated low-cost surveillance networks are also gaining attention overseas.

Notably, Yunxiang has received financial support from Tianjin SME Credit Financing Guarantee Co Ltd (TJCGC), a State-backed financial firm betting on the rise of China's low-altitude economy and its convergence with national security priorities.

"Yunxiang's core technologies, including portable navigation spoofers and satellite timing services, have passed national-level certifications. It's one of only 14 companies in China whose equipment has cleared top-tier government testing," said Yang Dongxiang, chairman of TJCGC.

The company has been included into a TJCGC cultivation project, which exclusively offers small and medium-sized high-tech enterprises with substantial credit guarantees in financing.

"As China upgrades its airspace defense systems and rolls out smart city infrastructure, we believe firms like Yunxiang will better help define the future of urban air safety," Yang said.

chengyu@chinadaily.com.cn