At the BMN investment and innovation conference in the Netherlands, nearly 50 companies applied to present, with 16 ultimately selected to pitch their ideas. The event was organised in collaboration with the Dutch Ministry of Defense, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Brainport Development in Eindhoven, and the Brabant Development Agency (BOM).
GA-ASI and its partners focused on key areas including Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Autonomy, Advanced Materials, Sensors, Advanced Manufacturing, and Space. The goal of the event was to identify and support emerging Dutch technologies relevant to unmanned systems and aerospace.
“The technologies presented by Emergent and Saluqi really stood out to us, and we’re proud to be working with them,” said Brad Lunn, Managing Director for GA-ASI. “I expect several other companies from the Blue Magic Netherlands event to emerge and we hope to make additional announcements in the near future.”
Emergent Swarm Solutions develops advanced software for autonomous flight and decentralised swarming capabilities in unmanned vehicles. GA-ASI will collaborate with Emergent to enhance autonomy features across its current and future aircraft platforms.
“It is a pleasure to partner with General Atomics to develop and deploy our autonomy and swarming capabilities on the current and next generation of unmanned aircraft,” said Lennart Bult, Co-founder and Managing Director at Emergent Swarm Solutions. “Collaborating with the General Atomics team has been a fantastic experience, and we look forward to delivering advanced capabilities through this partnership.”
Saluqi Motors specialises in high-density electric motors with integrated electronics, delivering high power and torque in compact formats suited to airborne applications. GA-ASI plans to qualify Saluqi’s existing technologies for aerospace environments and co-develop new products for defence use.
“We are deeply honoured to be selected by GA-ASI from such a strong field of innovative companies,” said Matthijs de Haan, CEO at Saluqi Motors. “Our ultra-compact and high-performance motors are engineered to meet the demanding requirements of aerospace applications. This collaboration enables us to further validate our technology and develop new solutions for the defence and aerospace industries.”
GA-ASI, a leading provider of unmanned aircraft systems, has previously hosted Blue Magic events in Belgium and continues to support innovation in Europe. The company is currently delivering eight MQ-9A aircraft to the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF).
“GA-ASI is committed to continue working with the Dutch government and Dutch industry in supporting the growth of technology innovation in the Netherlands. GA-ASI anticipates holding additional BMN events in the near future,” Lunn added.
