Researchers at Germany's Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have published a study proposing a purely mechanical anti-drone weapon that fires thin steel chains at drones, entangling their rotors and knocking them out of the sky. The work, led by Professor Claus Mattheck at KIT's Institute for Applied Materials and published in the journals Aerospace & Defence and Konstruktionspraxis , comes as Germany grapples with a surge in unauthorized drone flights over critical infrastructure. The three models for chain attacks shown side by side in a single image depict the chain as a dark line just before impact. (Image credit: Dr.-Ing. H. Moldenhauer) Mattheck's team also conducted live firing trials at the Sternenfels ballistics center in Baden-Württemberg using a catapult-based launcher.…