The Concept Development & Evaluation programme also covers logistics support and work towards a possible initial operating capability. Completion is scheduled for the second quarter of 2027.
The project responds to the rising cost of defending ships against large numbers of inexpensive aerial threats. It aims to give the Navy an additional interceptor layer without relying on premium air-defence missiles for every engagement.
Hornet B2 uses a different architecture from a conventional interceptor missile. A rocket booster launches it from a sealed canister before folding wings deploy and the vehicle shifts to electric-powered cruise flight.
Destinus said this design combines missile-style readiness with aircraft-style range and endurance. The company is targeting a cost per engagement well below that of traditional interceptors.
The system uses electro-optical and infrared sensors against one-way attack systems. AI-based processing supports the terminal phase, while human operators retain control of engagement decisions.
Royal Netherlands Navy personnel will participate throughout development. They will help define requirements for the interceptor, ship integration, logistics, support and operating procedures.
“Low-cost aerial threats have inverted the economics of naval air defence: no navy can sustainably trade multimillion-euro missiles against low-cost threats arriving at volume,” said Mikhail Kokorich, CEO of Destinus. Hornet B2 is intended to preserve high-end missiles for targets that require their greater performance.
Kokorich added: “Hornet B2 answers this with a different architecture: launched from a canister like a missile, cruising on electric power like an aircraft, and engaging subsonic threats at a fraction of the cost per engagement. Developing this capability together with COMMIT and the Royal Netherlands Navy from day one means it will be shaped by the operators who will depend on it.”
Hornet B2 is not intended to replace existing shipborne air-defence systems. It is being developed to add capacity against lower-cost threats arriving in volume, while its Hornet B1 predecessor is already in serial production.
The programme supports the Netherlands’ stated requirement for a maritime kinetic counter-UAS capability. Its development model brings engineering, ship integration and operational evaluation together before the system is finalised.
