A U.S. Soldier from Echo Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, tosses a soccer ball to a group of Iraqi boys in the village of Ka bashe in Kirkuk, Iraq, May 31. U.S. coalition forces partner with Iraqi police to inspect irrigation systems and meet with local farmers that have agriculture concerns in and around the Kirkuk province of Iraq.
A U.S. Soldier from Echo Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, tosses a soccer ball to a group of Iraqi boys in the village of Ka bashe in Kirkuk, Iraq, May 31. U.S. coalition forces partner with Iraqi police to inspect irrigation systems and meet with local farmers that have agriculture concerns in and around the Kirkuk province of Iraq. Spc. Bobby L Allen Jr
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Countering drones is a an expensive proposition. Quadcopters are cheap, but the lasers to melt them, the sensors to track them, and the special rifles to jam their signals are all pretty pricey. Maybe what drone defense really needs is a fast goalie with a strong right foot:

The footage comes from New Zealand. An aerial photography company was filming a promotional video when a soccer player decided instead to create a viral sensation. “Kid kicks ball at drone (Drone Crashes)” now joins the ranks of “Fireman blasts hose at drone” and “two minutes of animals attacking drones” in the annals of bad things happening to hapless quadcopters.

Watch the whole seven-second video below:

Watch This Soccer Ball Take Down A Drone
Kelsey D. Atherton
Kelsey D. Atherton

Kelsey D. Atherton is a military technology journalist who has contributed to Popular Science since 2013. He covers uncrewed robotics and other drones, communications systems, the nuclear enterprise, and the technologies that go into planning, waging, and mitigating war.