The “Amazon” of military drones arrives in the Old Continent.
The Dutch defense technology startup Intelic has announced the creation of a European marketplace for military drones, bringing together drone manufacturers from nine European countries, with the aim of accelerating purchases by allowing armed forces to compare the various available unmanned systems, reports Defense News.
The initiative arises in a context where drones have taken on an increasingly central role in contemporary conflicts. With an explosive attached, a drone costing less than a thousand dollars can destroy a tank worth millions. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has also accelerated innovation in the drone warfare sector. The conflict between Moscow and Kyiv is described as an “iteration war,” in which both sides continuously refine both drones and interception systems capable of shooting them down, trying to quickly improve the innovations developed by the opponent. This process has allowed Ukrainian companies to gain an advantage over foreign competitors, thanks to direct contact with soldiers engaged on the field.
Intelic’s platform aims to simplify and speed up acquisition procedures by European armed forces, offering Defense Ministries the possibility to compare different unmanned systems already available on the market.
All the details.
AN “AMAZON” FOR MILITARY DRONES
The “Base” platform, developed by the Dutch startup Intelic, is born as an intermediary portal for military drones with the goal of reducing fragmentation in the European market of the sector. According to the American defense specialized outlet, the system will allow armed forces to access drones already ready for operational deployment more quickly.
The initiative aims to facilitate comparison between different unmanned systems available on the market, thus accelerating the purchasing processes by Defense Ministries.
“Our fundamental principle is that European governments can purchase plug-and-play systems that they know are compatible with their organizations, without having to make substantial changes to training and other similar aspects,” said Maurits Korthals Altes, CEO and co-founder of Intelic, to Defense News.
THE MODEL INSPIRED BY THE UKRAINIAN EXPERIENCE
The project is inspired by the procedures adopted in Ukraine, particularly the Brave1 platform. As Defense News explains, Brave1, which connects frontline units with drone manufacturers, has been recognized for helping to develop new unmanned capabilities at an unprecedented pace, turning Ukraine into an innovation hub for drone warfare.
The Dutch startup’s goal is therefore to create an integrated system that allows European armed forces to quickly acquire technologies already compatible with their operational structures.
THE NEXUS SOFTWARE AND INTEROPERABILITY
Intelic is also finalizing an agreement to provide the Nexus command and control software to the Dutch Army’s drone units. Through this system, the units will also have access to the Base purchasing platform.
The company specified that it will not directly handle drone deliveries, a responsibility that will remain with individual manufacturers, but will ensure interoperability between systems through the Nexus software.
THE COMPANIES INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT
Among the companies already present on the platform are the Portuguese Tekever and Beyond Vision, the Dutch DeltaQuad, Avy, Acecore Technologies and Height Technologies, the German Highcat, the Latvian Origin Robotics and the Slovak Airvolute. Companies from France, the United Kingdom and Ukraine also participate.
According to Korthals Altes, the platform’s goal is to “address the fragmentation” of the European military drone market and progressively expand the network to other manufacturers and European countries.
