CICADA eMissile (SKY SPHERE)

The CICADA eMissile is a purpose-designed, battery-powered intercept munition developed by Diehl Defence to engage small and medium unmanned aircraft — specifically NATO Class I and smaller Class II threats — in a cost-effective way that preserves high-value interceptor stocks for larger threats. The missile is 700 mm long, 300 mm in diameter, and weighs under 10 kg. Four delta wings fold flat for container storage and deploy in an X-configuration on launch. A high-speed internal rotor accelerates the airframe to around 200 km/h; an onboard battery provides up to five minutes of powered flight at a stated range of approximately 5 km.

CICADA supports two interchangeable payload options: a fragmentation warhead for lethal engagement, or a net dispenser for non-lethal capture — allowing operators to tune the response to mission rules of engagement without hardware changes. Pre-instruction targeting, data-link guidance, and an autonomous seeker for terminal endgame provide a multi-phase guidance chain suited to the low radar-cross-section targets it addresses.

The eMissile is the hard-kill effector within the SKY SPHERE system — Diehl Defence's modular C-UAS architecture that integrates sensors, effectors, and command interfaces through standardised connectors. SKY SPHERE can be configured as a vehicle-mounted solution or as a stationary container system for persistent protection of critical infrastructure. The architecture is open to third-party sensor and effector integration, enabling operators to tailor the sensor-to-shooter chain to specific threats or operational environments.

For GCC and wider Middle East procurement, the CICADA/SKY SPHERE combination is relevant to base perimeter defence, critical-infrastructure protection (airports, energy facilities), and force protection for forward operating locations where cost-per-engagement economics are tightly constrained.