VANEA Defence today unveiled ATOMZA, the world’s first drone defence system designed for civilian deployment that can be operated by private organisations without sovereign enforcement powers. The system opens up a previously inaccessible market for active counter-UAS solutions, which until now have largely been restricted to public security authorities legally authorised to intervene against drones. ATOMZA will make its public debut at Drone Days in Bremen, Germany, on 27th and 28th August.
A new category of civilian counter-UAS mitigation
ATOMZA uses a non-kinetic optical effector that employs directed photonic radiation to disable a drone’s optical sensors without destroying the aircraft. This approach makes ATOMZA the first solution that can be deployed specifically to mitigate a drone threat without constituting an intervention requiring sovereign enforcement powers. While jammers, high-energy lasers and interceptor drones are legally restricted to authorised security authorities, ATOMZA can also be operated by civilian organisations.
In civilian airspace, around airports or over populated areas, for example, ATOMZA offers another critical advantage: it prevents collateral damage caused by a drone that has spun out of control. A system that protects without creating new risks. With this, VANEA Defence is tapping into a market opportunity that did not previously exist: Civilian operators of critical infrastructure can now protect themselves – a necessity underscored daily by events in Europe.
This gives civilian operators access to a counter-UAS capability that was previously unavailable to them. Airports, critical infrastructure operators, major event organisers and other security-sensitive sites can now take an active role in protecting their assets – an increasingly urgent requirement given the evolving threat environment across Europe.
ATOMZA is already being tested and validated under operational conditions by security authorities and critical infrastructure operators in Germany. Further trials with military partners are scheduled for the coming weeks. VANEA Defence is also in discussions with additional European authorities and international security partners to prepare the technology for broader deployment across Europe in the months ahead. Commercial availability for civilian operators starts immediately.
Jens Hillenköter, Executive Vice President (EVP) for Unmanned Aircraft Systems & Counter-UAVs at VANEA Defence, comments: “Europe’s threat landscape is changing rapidly. The question is no longer whether critical infrastructure needs protection, but how quickly effective solutions can be deployed. With ATOMZA, we are providing a capability that can be used by both public authorities and private operators.”
Built on a sovereign European AI foundation
Founded in Munich in 2025, VANEA Defence develops its technologies around a proprietary AI model built and trained entirely in Europe. This sovereign European AI foundation is designed to give European security authorities and civilian operators access to defence systems that can operate independently of non-European infrastructure.
Building on this AI model, VANEA Defence is developing an integrated family of counter-UAS technologies spanning the ATOMZA optical mitigation system, networks combining multiple countermeasure technologies, and advanced threat detection systems.
The AI layer provides consistent and reliable detection across these systems. It can distinguish genuine threats from decoys within drone swarms, optimise the allocation of defensive resources and provide the technological foundation for automated, European-controlled counter-UAS kill chains.
Dr Oliver Hartkorn, co-founder and CTO of VANEA Defence, adds: “European defence technology needs a European technological foundation. That is why we train our AI from the ground up in Europe – not simply to meet a requirement, but to create genuine strategic sovereignty. It is the foundation of every defence system we build. Only then can we ensure that the technologies relied on by police forces, armed forces and civilian operators are not compromised by dependencies outside Europe.”
About VANEA Defence
VANEA Defence is a Munich-based deep-tech company developing a new generation of European defence technology. Its mission is to build the critical technological capabilities Europe needs to defend itself effectively and independently in the age of autonomous warfare. At the core of VANEA Defence’s technology stack is a fully European AI foundation, trained and operated exclusively in Europe. On this basis, the company develops integrated technologies for counter-UAS and autonomous defence. VANEA Defence is a brand of publicly listed SCP Standard Capital Partners AG (Xetra: CAP). For more information, visit our website at www.vanea.ai.
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