With 82 patents filed of a total 126 worldwide in the year to March 2025, China dominated the rankings from intellectual property experts Mathys and Squire.

The US accounted for just 22 anti-drone patents and South Korea six.

Expanding interest in the field was clear from its growth, up 27 percent from the 99 filed in the previous period.

"It's not surprising that we're seeing a lot of innovation in that area from China," said Mathys and Squire partner Andy White.

Beijing has been making a "concerted effort" to encourage patent-filing by businesses and individuals over the past decade, including with financial incentives, White noted.

Most of the patents -- 49 in 2024-25 -- were related to interference and jamming.

But the "next generation" is already in development, the law firm found, highlighting anti-drone lasers (39 patents) and microwave systems (24).

"I wouldn't be surprised if in another one or two years, we see (the overall number) increase massively," White said.

The data halting in March 2025 means any developments following the outbreak of war between the US, Iran and Israel are not yet captured.

Drones play a central role in the current Middle East fighting and the past four years of war between Russia and Ukraine.

Iranian-designed Shahed drones have been widely deployed in both conflicts and can be tricky to counter.

President Volodymyr Zelensky's office said Wednesday that Ukrainian experts in drone defence had begun work in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

They have been tasked with sharing experience from years of intercepting Iranian-designed drones.