Best Anti-Drone Chain: Ideal Length, Weight & Design

Drone defence What Is the Best Anti-Drone Chain?

2026-09-25 A guest post by C. Mattheck, K. Bethge, V. Hack | Translated by AI 4 min Reading Time

How can a drone be defended against using a thrown chain? Test shots examine how the chain’s length, weight, and design affect its ability to wrap around the drone—and reveal the practical limitations of this method.

What works against drones—and what should be kept in mind when it comes to chain-based defence strategies?(Source: Mattheck) — What works against drones—and what should be kept in mind when it comes to chain-based defence strategies?
(Source: Mattheck)

In earlier studies [1–8], the bola principle was revived, with the bola replaced by thin chains thrown at the drone, and their entanglement behavior with the drone analysed using computer simulations. Based on all this, the “entanglement method” appears, in principle, to be suitable as a “last line of defence” against drones.
Nevertheless, we will discuss here a few practical questions regarding the optimisation of the chain, particularly with regard to its weight and length. Practical firing tests with muzzle-loading firearms encourage its practical use.

The results are presented through self-explanatory illustrations with detailed captions:

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Date: 08.12.2025

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