Dutch defence tech firm Destinus Group has acquired Zurich-based aviation AI company Daedalean in a cash-and-stock deal worth $225 million (CHF 180 million). The acquisition will significantly enhance Destinus’s AI capabilities across its civil and defence unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms.
About Destinus
- Launched in 2021, Destinus is headquartered in the Netherlands and develops autonomous flight systems for both defence and civilian use.
- The company designs and manufactures core components in-house, including unmanned aircraft, turbojet engines, flight software, and AI systems.
- Covering a wide speed range, from subsonic to supersonic, with plans for hypersonic flight, Destinus focuses on integrating reliable AI and advanced propulsion to enable long-range, high-speed UAV missions. It maintains operations across Germany, Switzerland, France, the UK, Spain, and Ukraine.
About Daedalean
- Established in 2016, Daedalean develops safety-critical AI systems for situational awareness and flight control in aviation. The company focuses on creating certifiable AI technologies that enable autonomous flight, including visual navigation, traffic detection, obstacle avoidance, and automated landing support.
- Its solutions are designed to operate reliably in complex environments, improving pilot decision-making and advancing automation in both commercial and defence aviation.
Details of the acquisition
- The $225 million acquisition, structured as a combined cash-and-stock transaction, is expected to close by the end of 2025. The deal brings over 150 AI and avionics specialists from Daedalean, including experts in machine learning and certifiable software development, into Destinus’s expanding workforce.
- With the acquisition, Destinus plans to strengthen its technological capabilities by integrating Daedalean’s advanced AI-driven avionics into its UAV platforms, enhancing autonomy, situational awareness, and swarm intelligence.
