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Navy strengthens defenses against drone attacks. The Navy is equipping its fleet with kinetic C-UAS systems to protect ships from drone attacks. Published on August 25, 2026 Team IO+ selects and features the most important news stories on innovation and technology, carefully curated by its editors. The Dutch Navy is strengthening its defenses against drone attacks. Yesterday, the Ministry of Defense signed a contract to equip the fleet with new Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS). These kinetic systems are designed to protect ships against hostile drones at medium range. New C-UAS systems. The Navy is taking a new step in its defense against unmanned aerial vehicles. The system consists of a base station and a launch platform from which a drone interceptor is fired. The kinetic C-UAS can destroy incoming objects in the air. The system strengthens the defensive capabilities of both its own units and those of its allies. Avy and NLR collaborate on drone innovation. NLR has acquired a latest-generation unmanned aerial vehicle for testing and operational evaluation. What are C-UAS systems? Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) are technologies that detect, track, disrupt, or neutralize unmanned aerial systems. These systems include radars such as the IRIS radar, jamming systems that disrupt communication between drones and their operators, kinetic systems such as anti-drone cannons, and interceptor drones that ram or detonate enemy drones. Long-Term commitment to C-UAS capabilities. The Netherlands has been committed to drone defense for quite some time. The "Initial Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS)" project, which has been underway since 2020, focuses on acquiring capabilities for the defense of the Kingdom, international missions, and support for national authorities. In 2024 and 2025, additional investments were made in various C-UAS projects, including the procurement of mobile combat C-UAS platforms, the expansion of Skyranger30 anti-drone cannon systems, and the acquisition of light patrol vehicles with integrated weapons for the Army and Navy. The total investment in C-UAS capabilities ranges from €1 billion to €2.5 billion, underscoring the urgency and importance of these systems. Hornet B2: a maritime solution against drones. One of the systems currently under development for the Navy is the Hornet Block 2, developed by the Dutch company Destinus. This kinetic C-UAS system is specifically designed for maritime deployment and has a range of 70 km. The system is launched using a rocket booster, after which its wings unfold and it transitions to an electrically powered cruise mode. It uses electro-optical and infrared sensors for target detection and tracking, supported by radar guidance and AI-based processing. The Hornet B2 is not a replacement for existing air defense systems, but provides additional capability against low-cost, swarm threats. Delivery is scheduled for the second quarter of 2027.

Destinus to develop Hornet B2 naval C-UAS for Royal Netherlands Navy. * Published on 25/08/2026 * By Naval News Staff * In News Destinus and the Netherlands Ministry of Defence sign a Concept Development & Evaluatio contract to integrate the Hornet B2 kinetic counter-UAS interceptor onto Royal Netherlands Navy warships by Q2 2027. A new Concept Development & Evaluation program will integrate Hornet B2 with Royal Netherlands Navy warships and develop the system towards a possible initial operating capability. Naval air defence faces an increasingly difficult economics problem. Low-cost aerial threats can arrive in volume, and meeting each one with a premium interceptor is an equation no navy can sustain. High-end naval air-defence missiles remain essential, but fleets also need an additional interceptor layer that can be deployed in greater numbers and matched more closely to the cost and scale of the threat. The Netherlands Ministry of Defence and Destinus are now working to develop that layer with Hornet B2. The Ministry of Defence's Materiel and IT Command, COMMIT, has signed a contract with Destinus to launch a Concept Development & Evaluation program for a kinetic counter-UAS capability for the Royal Netherlands Navy. The program includes the delivery of Hornet B2 interceptor systems, integration with several Royal Netherlands Navy warships and Integrated Logistics Support activities towards a possible initial operating capability. The CD&E program is scheduled for completion in Q2 2027. A different approach to naval interception. Hornet B2 is built around a different architecture from a traditional interceptor missile. The system is stored in a sealed canister and launched by a rocket booster. After launch, it deploys folding wings and transitions to electric-powered cruise flight. This combines missile-class launch readiness with aircraft-class range and endurance, while targeting a cost per engagement far below that of traditional interceptor missiles. Hornet B2 is designed to engage one-way attack systems using electro-optical and infrared sensing, supported by AI-based processing during the terminal phase. Engagement decisions remain under human command in accordance with applicable rules of engagement. Its predecessor, Hornet B1, is already in serial production. The design philosophy is straightforward. Naval forces need more than one class of interceptor. Premium missiles provide the performance required against the most demanding threats. Hornet B2 is being developed as an additional layer for lower-cost aerial threats arriving in volume, where repeatedly using high-end interceptors creates an increasingly difficult operational and economic trade-off. Built with the operators from the start. Royal Netherlands Navy operators will be involved directly throughout the CD&E program. They will contribute operational expertise and help shape the capability requirements and system specifications as Hornet B2 is developed for the naval environment. For naval systems, that distinction matters. The interceptor itself is only one part of the capability. Ship integration, logistics, operator requirements, support and operating procedures all have to work together. Bringing those requirements into the development process from the outset reduces the need to adapt a finished system after development. It also ensures that the capability is shaped around the environment in which it will ultimately be used. This is the purpose of the CD&E model: to connect engineering, integration and operational evaluation while the capability is still being developed. Adding interceptor capacity where navies need it. Hornet B2 is not intended to replace high-end shipborne air-defence systems. It is being developed to add interceptor capacity against low-cost, high-volume aerial threats, helping navies preserve premium missiles for the threat classes that require them. "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 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." The program supports the Netherlands' publicly stated requirement for a maritime kinetic counter-UAS capability for the fleet. It also marks the next step in bringing Hornet B2 into the naval environment: not as a standalone interceptor, but as part of an operational capability developed around the ships, operators and support systems that will use it. The CD&E program is scheduled to run through Q2 2027.

Dutch Navy to equip fleet with Destinus C-UAS interceptor drones. Rudy Ruitenberg Tue, August 25, 2026 at 1:50 AM PDT PARIS - The Royal Netherlands Navy plans to equip its fleet with a new counter-UAS capability based on interceptor drones from defense firm Destinus to improve protection of its warships against drone attacks. Destinus will develop a kinetic counter-UAS capability for the Navy based on its Hornet B2 interceptor, the company said in an emailed statement late Monday. The program will include delivery of the interceptors, integration with several warships and support towards a possible initial operating capability, with the program slated for completion in the second quarter of 2027. "The threat of drones at medium range is increasing," the Dutch Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Monday. "That's clear from both operational analyses as well as the current threat picture during maritime operations. Sailing units therefore need additional means to effectively defend themselves in fleets." Ukraine has been using low-cost interceptor drones to defeat one-way attack UAVs, offering a potential solution for Western navies that have found themselves firing expensive missiles at relatively cheap Houthi drones in the Red Sea. The U.S. Navy has already installed launchers for Raytheon's Coyote interceptor on Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. The new system will be an addition to existing armaments, the Dutch MoD said. The system will consist of a base station and a launch platform that can fire a drone interceptor, and the C-UAS solution will continue to be developed through testing, the ministry said. "The program addresses the growing requirement for scalable naval protection against low-cost, high-volume aerial threats," Destinus said. The company said an earlier version of the interceptor, the Hornet B1, is already in serial production. The system consists of an interceptor launched from a sealed canister by a rocket booster, before deploying its wings and transitioning to electric-powered cruise flight. The interceptor is designed to intercept one-way attack systems using electro-optical and infrared sensing and AI-based processing for the terminal phase, at a cost per engagement "far below that of traditional interceptor missiles," according to Destinus. "Low-cost aerial threats have inverted the economics of naval air defense: no navy can sustainably trade multimillion-euro missiles against low-cost threats arriving at volume," Destinus CEO Mikhail Kokorich said in a statement. "Hornet B2 answers this with a different architecture." The Dutch Navy will contribute direct operational expertise throughout the development and evaluation process, shaping capability requirements and system specifications, Destinus said. That will reduce the need for adaptation after system development, according to the company.