Mehler Protection unveils SCILT close-range C-UAS to stop FPV and kamikaze drones

FPV pilots and vehicle crews got a clear warning at Enforce Tac 2026 in Nuremberg when Mehler Protection, part of Mehler Systems, unveiled SCILT, a close‑range active counter‑UAS designed to stop small, low‑flying threats such as FPV racing drones, loitering munitions and so‑called kamikaze drones. Mehler frames SCILT as a dedicated last protective layer for land vehicles and positions it to defeat threats that arrive from lateral and frontal directions and at low angles.

Mehler’s rationale for SCILT is specific: the company says unmanned aircraft increasingly approach vehicles from flanks, ditches and rear sectors, reducing reaction time for traditional mobile air‑defence. To address that immediate close‑in envelope, SCILT mounts effector modules, sensors and operating logic directly on the host vehicle so engagements can occur within the vehicle’s immediate hazard zone, Mehler’s product copy and Defence Industry Europe reporting make clear.

The system architecture described in Mehler material and industry coverage includes an effector package, sensor kits and control units. SCILT can integrate into an existing vehicle data bus where available, or operate as a self‑contained package with its own close‑range surveillance sensors. Mehler and coverage in InterestingEngineering note that remote control units can be installed at multiple crew positions to expand operator decision‑making inside tanks, APCs or lighter pickups.

Mehler says SCILT’s development spanned roughly 18 months and included 48 test campaigns to determine optimal effective range. Defence Industry Europe and SoldierSystems list the test categories: external and terminal ballistics, temperature behaviour assessments, trigger reliability testing and fragment‑density measurements. Those reports and Mehler’s product news do not publish numeric engagement ranges, intercept altitudes or kill‑probability figures.

Commercially, Mehler plans to offer the first SCILT effector package from summer 2026 with sensor kits and control units suitable for different vehicle configurations. Mehler’s product news metadata is dated 19 February 2026 and SoldierSystems posted coverage on 23 February 2026 at 14:00; Mehler’s press page includes a downloadable press release DOCX and press images and renders credited to Mehler Protection showing SCILT fitted to APCs.

Several industry outlets add source‑specific claims that warrant caution. InterestingEngineering characterizes SCILT’s modular units as providing full 360‑degree coverage including top‑attack, while En Defence-ua reports SCILT uses standard 12‑gauge shotgun shells and cameras instead of radar and calls it the world’s first active protection system designed exclusively for unmanned systems. Those technical and marketing assertions appear only in those outlets among the available materials and are not explicitly confirmed in Mehler’s press extracts.

Mehler presents SCILT as an extension of its platform protection portfolio, which the company says already supplies protection solutions for helicopters, land vehicles and naval systems. With a scheduled summer 2026 availability, SCILT moves quickly from an 18‑month development cycle and 48 test campaigns into the field of view for militaries and for anyone tracking the vulnerability of FPV craft near protected vehicles.