At the end of May this year, Germany unveiled its new counter-drone missile for the first time. The Counter UAS-Missile Drone Hammer, developed by E-Wolf in cooperation with Warg Drones, was showcased at AFCEA 2025. Its key selling point is its price: at €2,500 per unit, it is far cheaper than conventional surface-to-air missiles, including those currently employed against drones.
According to the German outlet Hartpunkt, the first flight tests of the Drone Hammer were recently completed successfully. The announcement came from Philipp Böhne, managing director of the newly established company Skylance GmbH, which has now taken over the missile’s development.
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In terms of specifications, developers tested an upgraded Mk2 version. It reportedly weighs just 700 grams, measures about 70 cm in length (earlier claims suggested 50 cm), and has a diameter of 70 mm. Future plans call for further reductions to 60 cm in length and 60 mm in diameter.
Most importantly, the Drone Hammer is intended to counter Class 1 UAVs. While NATO certification formally places Class 1 drones at up to 150 kg, the report clarifies that in this case, the missile is designed to target UAVs weighing under 25 kg.
This again raises the question of cost-effectiveness: is it reasonable to develop a missile priced in the thousands of euros when far cheaper anti-aircraft FPV drones can destroy reconnaissance UAVs in the same weight range?
The Drone Hammer’s main advantage over FPV interceptors is its high stated speed of 500 km/h. Yet FPV developers are also making rapid progress. For instance, Ukraine’s Wild Hornets recently reported that their Sting interceptor has reached speeds of 315 km/h.
As for the German Drone Hammer missile, the development program is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2026.
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