VANEA Defence launches civilian-grade drone mitigation system

Until now, active counter-UAS capabilities were restricted to public security forces due to the legal complexities surrounding drone interception. The ATOMZA system bypasses these regulatory hurdles by avoiding kinetic force. Instead of jammers or high-energy lasers, it uses directed photonic light to blind a drone’s optical sensors, effectively neutralizing the threat while preventing the collateral damage often caused by falling wreckage.

Jens Hillenköter, Executive Vice President for Unmanned Aircraft Systems at VANEA, noted that the rapid evolution of security threats across Europe has turned the need for private-sector protection into an urgent priority. The system is currently undergoing trials with German infrastructure operators, with military evaluations expected to follow shortly. Beyond the hardware, the platform relies on a proprietary AI model trained entirely within Europe. Dr. Oliver Hartkorn, co-founder and CTO, emphasized that this localized development is essential to maintaining strategic sovereignty and ensuring that critical security infrastructure remains free from non-European technological dependencies.