LAST-LINE FPV
DEFENCE
The last 300 meters, where nothing else
can stop them.
A robotic weapon station finds an incoming FPV drone, tracks it and neutralises it. Set several across a frontage and they share targets with each other and with the unit’s own command picture.
COUNTER-FPV · C-UAS · CONNECTED NODES · LIVE-FIRE VALIDATED · HUMAN-AUTHORISED · COUNTER-UAS · SCALABLE
MISSION
MAKE EVERY VALUABLE
ASSET DEFENSIBLE
AGAINST DRONES
We do this by bringing affordable, autonomous air defence into the last 300 metres.
FPV drones cause most of the casualties on the front line, and they strike where cover is thinnest. Air defence has never been affordable at the bottom of the stack, so that ground stays open.
Founded in Estonia. Built by people who have shipped hardware at volume and worn the uniform — we say what is fielded and what is still in development, in writing, every time.
The threat is cheap, fast and everywhere. The counter has to be cheaper, faster and fielded in the same numbers.
AUTONOMY ON YOUR TERMS
The machine closes the kill chain. How much it may do alone is set by the customer’s rules of engagement: a human on every kinetic shot, full autonomy for non-lethal effectors.
COST AND SCALE SYMMETRY
A €300 drone is stopped with €2–18 of standard ammunition, from a station affordable enough to field in the numbers the drones actually arrive in.
EUROPEAN SOVEREIGNTY
Designed, built and supplied inside allied jurisdictions. No ITAR, no supplier we cannot reach.
PEOPLE AND ASSETS
The same station protects a squad, a vehicle or a vessel, and critical infrastructure: ports, airfields, power plants, fuel and gas storage. Anything worth more than the drone sent to destroy it.
THE NODE
THISTLE SHIELD
One node. The full kill chain on board.
MAN-PORTABLE
Carried and emplaced by one person, on foot. No vehicle, no crew, no infrastructure.
EFFECTOR-AGNOSTIC
Drives in-service weapons and ammunition. We add fire control, not another calibre — soft-kill effectors fit the same mount.
SEES WITHOUT THE NETWORK
Optical and thermal fusion with edge AI. Passive: the node emits nothing and depends on no radio link.
HUMAN ON THE LOOP
The operator sets the rules of engagement and holds the veto on every shot.
THE NODE — HOW IT WORKS
DETECT. TRACK. AUTHORISE. ENGAGE.
01
DETECT
Passive multi-sensor search across the approach sector — optical, thermal, acoustic. Nothing is emitted, so the node does not announce itself.
02
TRACK
Edge AI separates a drone from a bird and holds the track through the approach. No cloud, no connectivity requirement.
03
AUTHORISE
The operator receives the track and makes the decision to engage — from cover. Authority never leaves the human.
04
ENGAGE
The node lays the weapon onto the intercept solution and fires, then assesses the result and re-engages if required.
THE NODE — TECHNICAL DATA
SYSTEM OVERVIEW
We flip the odds: from 70% of FPV drones getting through to 70% neutralised by the third shot.
Weight: 20kg, man-portable
Deployment: 15 min setup, 12 h battery
Detection: 350 m, day and night
Engagement: pending on effector type
Extended range: pending on sensor module
Reaction time: under one second
Effectors: rifles (5.56mm, 7.72mm), shotguns, jammers, C-UAS rockets
Classification: ≥85% accuracy
Precision: ±1 MOA zeroing
Kill chain: on board, works when jammed
Autonomy: human in the loop
Mounting: tripod, UGV, vehicle, fixed site
For the full technical package: defence@thistleshield.com
THE CLUSTER
THE SKY STAYS CLOSED
A cluster is 4–10 networked nodes covering one protected area.
EXAMPLE: ASSAULT RIFLE CLUSTER
8 AR NODES (5.56 / 7.62)
CONNECTED NODES
Every node shares its tracks, so a drone seen by one is known to all. The cluster allocates each target to one weapon, and a single operator commands them all.
THE VOLUME NEVER OPENS
One drone: the node with the best angle takes it.
A swarm: the cluster splits the targets and several nodes fire at once.
One reloading: its sector passes to the next.
Self-healing mesh
No master node. Every node transmits, receives, reroutes. Short-range links resist jamming
THE LAYER
THE LAYER IS
THE CAPABILITY
A cluster holds a frontage; the layer holds a whole formation. Clusters join into one picture. Tracks and results go up; early warning comes down. The layer takes cueing from radar, long-range EO, acoustic arrays and a tactical picture such as ATAK — so a node can be looking the right way before it sees anything itself.
OPEN BY DESIGN
Effector- and C2-agnostic. Feeds ATAK today, a national C2 tomorrow. It plugs in; it replaces nothing.
GROWS ONE NODE AT A TIME
No new crew or doctrine. Same node from platoon to brigade. Bought in increments
SAME CORE, ANY MOUNT
Dismounted, vehicle, UGV or fixed site – one system family, one operator logic, one training pipeline.
SERVICES
WE FIELD IT
WE KEEP IT FIGHTING
The nodes are only part of what a customer buys. Thistle also delivers the work that turns hardware into a standing last-line layer: integration onto the platforms and command systems already in service, crew training closed out with live fire, and sustainment across the service life. Delivered in-house in Estonia and, where export rules allow, through certified partners in-country.
INTEGRATION
Nodes fitted to the customer’s platforms and weapons – dismounted, mounted or fixed – and the cluster wired into the C2 already in use. Effector- and C2-agnostic: it plugs in, it replaces nothing.
TRAINING AND ACCEPTANCE
Operator and commander training on detect, track, authorise and engage, closed out with live-fire acceptance on the customer’s own ranges and rules of engagement.
SUSTAINMENT AND UPGRADES
Spares, repair and refurbishment, plus software and threat-library updates so fielded nodes keep pace with new drone types across the whole service life.
USE CASES
WHERE IT IS USED
One system family, six mission profiles — dismounted, mounted or fixed.
FORWARD POSITIONS
Dismounted squads and trench lines, where FPVs commit in the last 300 metres.
ASSEMBLY AREAS
Staging and rear assembly points, the massed targets FPV crews hunt for.
CONVOYS AND VEHICLES
Mounted on a vehicle or UGV, protecting the column while it moves.
HIGH-VALUE ASSETS
Air defence batteries, radars and command posts that cannot be left uncovered.
AIRFIELDS AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Fixed sites, ports and energy nodes, with non-lethal effectors where required.
COUNTER-DRONE TRAINING
Live drills against real targets, so crews learn on the system they will field.
Mission profile not listed here: defence@thistleshield.com
INTEGRATIONS
CONFIGURATIONS
4×5.56mm assault rifles
4×7.62mm assault rifles
Jammer integration
2x rocket integration
FAQ
QUESTIONS WE GET
Which drones does it defeat?
FPV and other Group 1 drones, including fibre-optic and RF-dark types that jammers and RF sensors never see.
How autonomous is it?
Detection, tracking and aiming run on their own. A human authorises every engagement and holds the veto.
What does it fire?
Weapons already in the unit: assault rifles, shotguns, directional jammers, counter-UAS rockets in partner integration.
Does it work when jammed?
Yes. The node is passive, emits nothing, and closes the loop on board without a radio link.
Has it been fired live?
Yes. Live-fire trials with a NATO member state’s armed forces, against FPV-class targets.
Who can buy it?
Government end users and authorised entities, under Estonian and EU export control.
Something not answered here: info@thistleshield.com
ABOUT
HOW WE STARTED
2022 · THE THREAT CHANGED
Watching the war in Ukraine made one thing plain: drones were no longer reconnaissance tools. Cheap FPV drones were doing the killing.
ORIGIN
2024 · NOBODY HAD BUILT IT
The founding question was simple: why not put a camera and a weapon on a motorised mount and let it engage drones? By 2024 nobody had.
THE DECISION
TODAY · READY TO LAUNCH
Team growing, nearly two decades of hardware experience, a first customer signed, resellers in negotiation and the first round open.
WHERE WE ARE
Thistle is a defence technology innovator focused on lightweight, highly effective and affordable protection systems. Our products act as force multipliers for the units that carry them, and they defend the critical infrastructure behind the line: ports, airfields, power plants and fuel storage.
Designed, built and tested in Estonia, inside European supply chains. No ITAR exposure.
BACKING AND RECOGNITION
BACKED BY EUROPEAN PROGRAMMES. RECOGNISED BY THE INDUSTRY
EUDIS Business Accelerator
Cohort 3 · European Commission / DG DEFIS
EUDIS Matchmaking
European defence innovation network
Interreg Central Baltic — BeScaled
Co-funded by the European Union
Creative Destruction Lab
Global deep-tech accelerator
DEFINE Accelerator
Defence innovation programme · pitch winner
Defence Business Lab
Estonian startup incubator
Estonian Defence & Aerospace Industry Association
Member
WON: 1ST PLACE, WOLVES SUMMIT GREAT PITCH — ON TO STARTUP WORLD CUP, SAN FRANCISCO · 1ST PLACE, DEFINE ACCELERATOR PITCH · €5,000 START-UP PRIZE, ESTONIAN BUSINESS HUB IN LATVIA · sTARTUp DAY TOP 5 · LATITUDE59 TOP 15
ALSO: BraveTech EU — DefTech Forge · Shared Mission · Darkstar Bootcamp, Ukraine · Defence Estonia cluster
Ukrainian verified supplier status confirmed • NCAGE code, NSN codes for products, EU Funding & Tenders Portal Participant Identification Code (PIC) acquired
CONTACT
REACH US
DEFENCE & GOVERNMENT
Demonstrations, technical packages and procurement routes. Enquiries are answered by a named person.
INVESTORS
Materials and introductory calls. State your firm, your website and your typical cheque size.
PARTNERS & SUPPLIERS
Integration, distribution and manufacture inside the European Union.
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