VANEA Defence has developed a new drone defence system designed specifically for civilian deployment. The company says ATOMZA can be operated by private organisations without sovereign enforcement powers.
ATOMZA uses a non-kinetic optical effector that employs directed photonic radiation to disable a drone’s optical sensors without destroying the aircraft.
The system is currently 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 says it 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.
Founded in Munich in 2025, VANEA Defence develops its technologies around a proprietary AI model built and trained entirely in Europe. Building on this AI model, the company is developing an integrated family of counter-uncrewed aerial system (C-UAS) technologies spanning the ATOMZA optical mitigation system, networks combining multiple countermeasure technologies and threat detection systems. The AI layer is capable of distinguishing genuine threats from decoys within drone swarms.
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VANEA Defence
Image: VANEA Defence
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