New Delhi: Danish aerospace manufacturer Terma Group has acquired UK-based counter-drone company OSL in an effort to boost its drone-defence portfolio, as European officials report an uptick in aerial intrusions aimed at critical infrastructure.
While the takeover process began earlier this year, a series of airspace breaches over the last few months has accelerated the procedure, Terma CEO Henriette H. Thygesen said.
“The recent European drone disruptions did not start the process, but they did underline the urgency and relevance of bringing a stronger, software-led, and open C-UAS capability to critical assets,” she said.
The new partnership will combine OSL’s operational experience protecting major sites, such as Heathrow and Gatwick airports, with Terma’s situational-awareness and command-and-control capabilities.
A broad range of third-party sensors, including radar, radio-frequency, optical, and acoustic data across all domains, will be fused to provide operators with a single, comprehensive picture.
Effectors capable of neutralising hostile drones can also be integrated into the setup, completing the offering of a turnkey suite from spotting a threat to downing it, according to the companies.
Thygesen said recent incursions have exposed speed of detection as a key gap in defending against drones, leaving security personnel unaware of what type of threat they were dealing with.
“It is not enough to just detect anymore – you need to validate quickly that it’s actually a drone, reduce false alarms, and act with more speed and confidence, that’s where sensor fusion and disciplined workflows make a difference,” she said.
OSL began deploying its anti-drone suite at Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, in 2022. According to the company’s website, the system is able to scan a given airspace for illegal drones and pinpoint their operators on the ground.
In the UK alone, there are over 500,000 registered drone pilots who have passed their certifications to legally fly systems weighing 250g or more, as reported by the country’s Civil Aviation Authority.
Thygesen said major airports typically rely on counter-drone equipment from multiple manufacturers and, in some cases, deploy over 17 different types of sensors linked to various types of effectors.
