Shares in ASX-listed defence technology company DroneShield have soared 19 per cent, after it struck a $33 million deal to sell equipment to the United States Department of Defence, underscoring the importance of the versatile unmanned vehicles to modern warfare.

DroneShield makes systems that stop drones from communicating with their controllers or satellites, rendering them useless. Some are mounted on vehicles or the buildings, but its most popular products, which resemble an oversized rifle, are designed to be carried.