European Market for Defense Drones, Counter-UAS Grows

By Dronelife Features Editor Jim Magill

As western European nations contend with the proliferation of small UAVs, including some that might be operated with hostile intent, the need for defense-related drone technology and counter-UAS equipment is creating a new market for U.S.-based entities, the CEO of a defense UAV company told DroneLife.

“I don’t see the threats to Europe being much different than the threats in the U.S. and I believe that, while our geography certainly exposes us to any threats across the northern border and the southern border, Europe’s dealing with similar issues,” said EagleNXT CEO Bill Irby. “They’ve got Russia that’s going crazy with their attacks on Ukraine.”

EagleNXT recently announced several deals to market its eBee drones, designed for surveillance in challenging environments, to European defense customers. The EagleNXT contracts are part of a broader array of recent transactions, involving both European and American companies, designed to bolster Europe’s drone-based defense capabilities,

Earlier this month German drone manufacturer Wingcopter and Ukraine’s TAF Industries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Munich Security Conference signaling their plans to form a joint venture focused on scaling production of reconnaissance drones for Ukraine. 

Also in February, ahead of the Munich conference, German aerial data intelligence company Quantum Systems announced a €150 million financing package backed by a consortium of European financial institutions. The deal reflects a push to allow European bans to engage in direct financing of security industries. 

In December, Florida-based Ondas Holdings, which specializes in autonomous systems and private wireless networks, announced its second major counter-UAS order in two weeks from a European security authority. 

Much like in the United States, Western European nations faces serious threats from drones operated by users whose aim is to cause harm. However, in the U.S., where the potential threat from hostile UAVs largely comes from drug cartels and other criminal non-state actors, the European countries also have to contend with the potential disruptions caused by drones launched from the powerful nation to their east, Irby said in an interview.

Over the last several months, a series of recent drone-related incidents have caused disruptions and closures at airports across western Europe, raising alarms across the continent. On February 11, the European Commission issued an Action Plan on Drone and Counter Drone Security, calling for a coordinated response from EU members to the growing problem.

“The cross-border character and high-impact of drone-related incidents make enhanced coordination, shared preparedness and solidarity at the EU level indispensable. An effective response requires a comprehensive, coordinated and targeted approach, bringing together the civil and military dimensions,” the Action Plan states.

The European Commission developed the Action Plan in response to the calls from EU member states and the European Parliament to develop a united approach in response to the threats posed by malicious drone operations. The plan, which is designed to complement counter-UAS measures taken by the individual EU nations, aims to develop a coherent and effective Europe-wide counter-UAS response.

Irby compared the drone-related threats faced by European security officials with those seen in the U.S and said each region confronts its own unique challenges. He said that while most of America’s global security concerns focus on threat from international adversaries such as Iran and China, in terms of worries about rouge UAVs much of the recent attention has focused on the U.S. Southern border.

He pointed to the controversial recent incident that resulted in the temporary closure of El Paso International Airport. Although the exact nature of the events leading up to the closure are still in dispute, some sources say the Customs and Border Protection’s use of a laser-based counter-UAS weapon, either in training or on a live anti-cartel drone mission, caused the FAA to issue the closure notice.

Although he said he did not know precisely what occurred in El Paso, Irby said the incident occurred during a period of heightened concern over the high number of cross-border drone incursions occurring in the border region.

“The threat from the cartels has always been existing, but I think this is probably the most evident occurrence of a high level of activity along that corridor near El Paso that they’ve seen,” he said.

EagleNXT Deals

In its most recent deal to expand its footprint into the European defense market, earlier this month EagleNXT announced the sale of 15 of its eBee X fixed-wing drones to a Europe-based defense integrator. The transaction helps “meet the growing European demand for full-stack drones, sensors and software solutions,” EagleNXT said in a press statement.

The lightweight, NDAA-compliant eBee X is designed as a high-performance mapping and surveying platform. With its flight time of up to 90 minutes and area coverage of up to 1,250 acres per flight, the eBee X can perform as a tool for surveillance, training and threat emulation, the company said.

The deal marks AgEagle’s most recent foray into the European defense market. Last month, the company announced the sale of two eBee VISION unmanned aerial systems to the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR).

Irby said the recent transactions represent the development of a fast-growing European market for U.S.-based UAV and software companies. “We are expanding across Europe in terms of different countries working through a number of resellers in Europe,” Irby said.

He added that his company is developing an international partnership that would help EagleNXT expand its business into the counter-UAS arena. He said he expects EagleNXT to make an announcement on the project within the next several weeks.

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Jim Magill is a Houston-based writer with almost a quarter-century of experience covering technical and economic developments in the oil and gas industry. After retiring in December 2019 as a senior editor with S&P Global Platts, Jim began writing about emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, robots and drones, and the ways in which they’re contributing to our society. In addition to DroneLife, Jim is a contributor to Forbes.com and his work has appeared in the Houston Chronicle, U.S. News & World Report, and Unmanned Systems, a publication of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International.