ATOMZA uses a non-kinetic optical effector that applies directed photonic radiation to disable a drone’s optical sensors without destroying the aircraft. Vanea Defence said the approach allows private organizations to mitigate drone threats without relying on jammers, high-energy lasers or interceptor drones, which are legally restricted to authorized security authorities.
The company said the system is designed to address a market that has largely been inaccessible to civilian operators because active counter-UAS measures have traditionally required public enforcement authority. ATOMZA makes its public debut at Drone Days in Bremen, Germany, on Aug. 27 and 28.
Vanea Defence said the system also reduces the risk of collateral damage from drones that lose control over populated areas or civilian airspace. The company is positioning ATOMZA for use by organizations that need an active response capability without creating additional risks from destroying or intercepting an aircraft.
ATOMZA is already undergoing operational testing with security authorities and critical infrastructure operators in Germany. Military trials are scheduled for the coming weeks, while the company is also in discussions with additional European authorities and international security partners on broader deployment across Europe.
“Europe’s threat landscape is changing rapidly. The question is no longer whether critical infrastructure needs protection, but how quickly effective solutions can be deployed,” said Jens Hillenkoeter, Executive Vice President for Unmanned Aircraft Systems & Counter-UAVs at Vanea Defence. “With ATOMZA, we are providing a capability that can be used by both public authorities and private operators.”
Vanea Defence said ATOMZA is built on a proprietary artificial intelligence model developed and trained entirely in Europe. The Munich-based company, founded in 2025, said the architecture is intended to allow European security authorities and civilian operators to use defense technologies independently of non-European infrastructure.
The same AI foundation supports a broader family of counter-UAS technologies under development at Vanea Defence. These include ATOMZA, networks combining multiple countermeasure technologies and advanced threat detection systems.
The AI layer is designed to provide consistent detection across those systems and distinguish genuine threats from decoys within drone swarms. Vanea Defence said it can also optimize the allocation of defensive resources and provide the basis for automated, European-controlled counter-UAS kill chains.
“European defence technology needs a European technological foundation. That is why we train our AI from the ground up in Europe – not simply to meet a requirement, but to create genuine strategic sovereignty,” said Dr Oliver Hartkorn, co-founder and CTO of Vanea Defence. “It is the foundation of every defence system we build. Only then can we ensure that the technologies relied on by police forces, armed forces and civilian operators are not compromised by dependencies outside Europe.”
Vanea Defence develops counter-UAS and autonomous defense technologies around its European AI platform. The company operates as a brand of publicly listed SCP Standard Capital Partners AG, which trades on Xetra under the ticker CAP.
