When the U.S. men’s national soccer team takes on Australia on Friday afternoon in Seattle, it’s likely a Utah defense company’s drones will be watching the skies, ready to intercept potential attack drones.

The counter-drone “SkyDome” system from the Lindon-based Fortem Technologies uses its proprietary sensors and software to scan for any incoming drones.

If one approaches and is deemed a threat, the system will deploy its “DroneHunter” units to capture it in a net, Chief Business Officer Charlie O’Connell explained.

While O’Connell said he could not disclose how or where Department of Homeland Security officials would use the company’s counter-drone technology, the company was the only “kinetic counter-drone solution” the federal agency selected to “protect U.S. World Cup events,” according to a news release.

A “kinetic” counter-system physically stops a drone, as opposed to using electronic interference, like jamming, which blocks a drone’s communications with its operator, sending it back to its base or causing it to hover or land.

Those in or around the 11 U.S. World Cup venues may catch a glimpse of Fortem’s drones hovering around stadiums, on the lookout, O’Connell said. The tournament ends July 19, with the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Fortem’s multimillion-dollar agreement was part of DHS’s $115 million investment in counter-drone technology for the World Cup as well as the America250 celebrations, according to the release.

This is the second time Fortem’s technology has been used for security at the World Cup, first deploying in Qatar in 2022. The company’s counter-drone systems were also used at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, O’Connell said.

Fortem’s “DroneHunter” units shoot nets to capture targets — “without creating debris, interfering with stadium communications, or endangering spectators,” the release said.

As small, cheap and expendable drones proliferate on modern battlefields, many counter-drone systems rely on jamming or destruction, which can result in an explosion and collateral damage.

Neither are the best options for massive stadiums filled with tens of thousands of spectators, O’Connell said.

“The threat posed by small drones is one of the most consequential shifts in security of our lifetime. But it’s a threat we know how to stop,” CEO Jon Gruen said in the news release.

Fortem’s systems have not yet intercepted a drone at a World Cup event — “thank goodness,” O’Connell said — but they have seemingly deterred drones “a couple times.”

He added it wasn’t clear if in those cases the drones were “hostile actors” or “just taking video.” Either way, he said, the “DroneHunter has been deployed, and the other drone has fled.”