[Shooter] So we're out here today

to shoot down that drone.

[Narrator] Okay.

So this isn't your typical target practice.

Boom! But these guys actually have

a pretty good excuse for firing guns

out in the middle of the desert.

Today, we're testing a handful

of drone-defensive products to see how well they work.

Just put this on your shoulder.

[Narrator] This is Francis Brown.

He's a managing partner

at the cyber security consultancy, Bishop Fox,

where he and his team look for new ways

to defend against digital threats

and, occasionally, physical flying ones too.

These days, they're researching ways

to defend against the growing problem of flying bots

that can represent everything from a nuisance

to a serious danger.

Dozens of companies already offer drone defense options,

but Brown says they're often designed for the military,

like laser weapons and radio frequency jammers,

or they're just too expensive and impractical.

Not everyone has an eagle on-hand.

We need some cost-effective, more practical,

we need a range of solutions.

[Narrator] And that brings us back out here

where his team is trying to figure out

which of these new gadgets is best at

taking down a rogue drone.

First, we're gonna go ahead

and try the Skynet shotgun shells,

which are 12-gauge shotgun shells that deploy a net

specifically to try to take down drones.

[Narrator] The Skynet shotgun shells are

one of the simpler drone defense options available.

Just $20 for three, and they can be fired

from any traditional shotgun.

The difference, of course, is the netting

which wraps around the drone's propellers to take it down.

The Skynets were extremely effective.

They're the cheapest out of all the solutions, by far.

[Narrator] From 70 feet out,

it took them three to five shots per drone.

Number two, we're gonna go ahead

and try to test these flashlight net guns.

They look like a flashlight, pull them out of your belt,

up to 45 feet away you can shoot them and take down drones.

[Narrator] Brown tried two net guns.

One priced at around $775, another at about $500.

[Francis] Kinda misfired, just kinda dribbled out here.

[Narrator] Neither model was quite prepared

for Arizona's 110-degree weather.

Whether it's myth-busted or not, we'll have to see.

It's not good for Arizona or warm climates,

let's say that for sure.

Lastly, the piece de la resistance, the big guy.

We have the SparrowHawk

attached to a huge DJI M600 drone,

and, essentially, it's gonna be some air-to-air combat.

It's going to try to go catch up to the danger drone

with a really big net and swoop it up

to try to capture the drone.

[Narrator] The SparrowHawk system is, by far,

the most expensive option Brown tested.

The drone and the net system together

come close to around $11,000.

We were able to take down the drone

pretty quickly and fast,

so I think it's definitely a good option.

A very expensive option,

but not for corporate security, something like that.

[Narrator] Despite the failure of the net guns

in the Arizona heat, Brown says he was surprised

at how well the anti-drone tools worked.

I'd say the surprise of the day

was probably the shotgun shells.

I expected that they would do well,

but not nearly as well as they did.

They were super effective, and the cheapest

out of all of the products that we tested today.

[Narrator] But that doesn't mean

they're meant for everyone.

I would say the shotgun shells are probably useful

in certain scenarioses, but they can be extremely dangerous.

I think they could hurt somebody,

so I think it would be extremely limited

in where you can use them.

You wouldn't be able to use them in cities,

you wouldn't be able to use them in suburbs.

[Narrator] He notes that each tool

has a specific, limited application,

especially at long distances.

And that means it could be years

before corporations, first responders, or even governments

are equipped with the tools they need

to deal with annoying or even dangerous drones.

Even then, drone pilots will likely adapt

to circumvent anti-drone systems

in a continuing cat-and-mouse game.

Brown's tests show there are real, practical tools

for dealing with the coming age of flying robots,

but these drone wars are just getting started.