Rheinmetall and Praetorian Aeronautics Unveil AERIE C-UAS System

CounterUASWorld Summary

Rheinmetall Defence Australia and Praetorian Aeronautics have jointly developed AERIE (Autonomous-Engagement-Rapid-Interceptor-Effector), a containerised Counter-UAS solution designed for rapid deployment against emerging drone threats. Developed from concept to prototype in just 12 months, AERIE is a self-contained, interceptor-agnostic launcher housed in a standard 20-foot ISO container and capable of carrying more than 20 interceptors. The demonstrator integrates Praetorian Aeronautics’ Arrow Interceptor and Hadrian AI-enhanced Command & Control system. Arrow is a high-speed autonomous interceptor designed to kinetically defeat multiple unmanned threats beyond visual range, while Hadrian enables coordinated management of autonomous effectors across air, land, and maritime domains. The highly mobile system is intended to provide a low-cost and scalable defence against the growing proliferation of unmanned aerial systems.