Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has officially introduced HYPNOSIS, a new electronic warfare system designed to neutralize large numbers of satellite guided drones without firing a single interceptor missile. Instead of destroying incoming targets kinetically, the platform attacks one of their most vulnerable components: satellite navigation.
Presented ahead of the Farnborough International Airshow 2026, HYPNOSIS reflects the growing shift toward electronic countermeasures as militaries search for more affordable ways to defend against mass drone attacks. The concept is straightforward. If an incoming drone cannot determine its position accurately, it may never reach its intended target.
GNSS attack instead of missile defense
Unlike conventional air defense systems that rely on expensive interceptors, HYPNOSIS belongs to the so called “soft kill” category. Rather than physically destroying an aircraft, it disrupts or manipulates the navigation data used by the drone.
According to IAI, the system combines two complementary electronic warfare techniques:
- GNSS jamming, which overwhelms legitimate satellite signals with stronger radio transmissions until the drone loses satellite lock.
- GNSS spoofing, which generates counterfeit satellite navigation signals that appear authentic to the receiver, causing the drone to calculate an incorrect position or heading.
- Instead of exploding in the air, a spoofed drone may simply fly away from its intended target or become unable to complete its mission.
Multi constellation electronic warfare
One of HYPNOSIS’ most important technical characteristics is its ability to engage multiple satellite navigation systems simultaneously.
Rather than focusing only on GPS, the platform is designed to interfere with:
- GPS
- GLONASS
- Galileo
- BeiDou
This significantly increases its effectiveness against modern drones that often use multi constellation GNSS receivers for improved positioning accuracy and resilience.
The architecture consists of multiple mobile electronic warfare stations connected to a centralized command and control system. Each station acts as a high power RF effector capable of transmitting interference across several satellite navigation bands.
IAI says the command center can coordinate the entire network automatically, allowing the system to respond to large scale attacks without requiring an operator to manually assign targets. This becomes particularly valuable during swarm attacks involving dozens or even hundreds of drones approaching simultaneously from different directions.
Built on proven GNSS protection expertise
HYPNOSIS did not appear from scratch.
The new platform builds upon more than twenty years of development experience gained through IAI’s ADA GNSS Anti Jamming System, which protects friendly aircraft and unmanned systems from hostile electronic attacks.
ADA employs Controlled Reception Pattern Antenna (CRPA) technology, using multiple antenna elements and advanced signal processing to suppress interference while maintaining reception of legitimate satellite signals.
HYPNOSIS effectively reverses that philosophy. Instead of protecting friendly navigation, it intentionally denies or manipulates navigation for hostile systems.
Cost advantage could change drone defense
Perhaps the strongest argument for HYPNOSIS is economic rather than technical.
Modern air defense systems frequently use interceptor missiles costing well over one million dollars against one way attack drones that may cost only tens of thousands.
Open source estimates place Shahed class attack drones at roughly $35,000, while interceptor missiles used by systems such as Patriot or NASAMS may cost between $1 million and more than $3 million depending on the missile type.
Electronic warfare changes this equation dramatically.
Once deployed, a single electronic warfare network can potentially engage multiple incoming drones simultaneously without consuming expensive interceptor inventory. Instead of paying millions of dollars for every successful interception, operators primarily consume electrical power while keeping missile stocks available for more dangerous threats such as cruise missiles or ballistic missiles.
Civil aviation remains a concern
Although GNSS warfare has become increasingly common on modern battlefields, its effects extend well beyond military targets.
Satellite navigation signals arriving from orbit are extremely weak, typically around -130 dBm at ground level. Even relatively modest terrestrial transmitters operating on the same frequencies can overpower those signals over significant distances.
As a result, large scale GNSS interference has already affected commercial aviation in several regions of the world.
Industry organizations have reported a dramatic increase in GPS spoofing and jamming incidents over the past two years, prompting aviation regulators to issue multiple safety advisories. Any permanent deployment of high power navigation warfare systems near populated areas will therefore require careful management to minimize unintended effects on civilian users of satellite navigation.
Future drones will be harder to defeat
Despite its promising concept, HYPNOSIS is not a universal solution.
Many long range attack drones already combine satellite navigation with inertial navigation systems (INS), allowing them to continue flying even after losing GNSS signals. While navigation accuracy gradually degrades over distance, complete mission failure is not guaranteed.
Future generations of autonomous weapons are expected to rely even less on satellite navigation by integrating technologies such as:
- inertial navigation;
- terrain matching;
- visual navigation;
- optical scene recognition;
- LiDAR based localization;
- AI assisted sensor fusion.
These systems can continue operating in GNSS denied environments, reducing the effectiveness of navigation warfare alone.
For this reason, HYPNOSIS should be viewed as another defensive layer rather than a replacement for traditional air defense systems. Electronic warfare, interceptor missiles, directed energy weapons, and conventional radar defenses will likely continue operating together within integrated layered defense architectures.
Industry perspective
HYPNOSIS illustrates one of the most significant trends in modern air defense. The objective is no longer simply destroying every incoming target. Instead, militaries increasingly aim to deny the attacker an effective guidance solution before expensive interceptors ever become necessary.
From a technical perspective, the system is particularly interesting because it attacks one of the weakest links in many current generation loitering munitions: dependence on satellite positioning. If IAI’s claims are validated during operational deployment, electronic navigation warfare could become one of the most cost effective layers in future counter drone networks.
However, the technology also highlights how quickly the electronic warfare competition is evolving. Every improvement in GNSS disruption drives drone manufacturers toward more sophisticated navigation systems that depend less on satellite signals. As autonomous guidance continues advancing, future counter drone systems will need to combine electronic warfare with AI enabled target recognition, passive sensors, and kinetic defenses to remain effective.
About Israel Aerospace Industries
Founded in 1953, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is Israel’s largest aerospace and defense company and one of the world’s leading developers of military aircraft, satellites, missile systems, air defense technologies, electronic warfare, and unmanned aerial systems. The company employs approximately 15,000 people, exports defense products to customers in more than 100 countries, and generates annual revenue exceeding $5 billion. Its portfolio includes the Barak air defense family, Arrow missile defense participation, Heron unmanned aircraft, advanced radar systems, space technologies, and a wide range of electronic warfare solutions, making IAI one of the most influential defense technology manufacturers worldwide.
