Shut for four hours by two-three drones
≈4 h of suspended traffic · ~20,000 passengers affected · ~100 movements cancelled. The drones were seen — never identified, never engaged.
Dual-use counter-UAS · Odense, Denmark
AI-generated background · sensor layer drawn from the system
See the threat. Understand it. Decide in time.
VAERN Systems is the dual-use decision and control layer for low-altitude airspace. We fuse the sensors available on site — ours, yours or third-party — classify threats with explainable edge-AI, and keep the operator in the loop — supported by AI.
From airspace to track
The decision chain
One site. The whole chain.
- 1Coverage, not single sensors
Several sensor positions on the perimeter see the same airspace from different angles. Count and placement depend on the site — that is the point: you get the coverage the location needs, not a fixed package.
- 2Three sensor types, one track
Radar gives range, bearing and speed. Passive RF gives protocol and often an identity. EO/IR confirms visually. CORE fuses them into one track with a confidence figure — and shows why. Which sensors are in the mix is decided site by site.
- 3The operator releases — not the system
Effect is delivered by an authorised partner effector, never by VAERN, and never without a human decision. VAERN provides the basis, the interface and the audit trail. Effector type is chosen to fit the site and the rules that apply there.
Figures are set per deployment — every site gets the mix it needs, and we publish no numbers we cannot stand behind. The video sequence is AI-generated concept imagery (Higgsfield/Seedance): design intent and an operating picture, not built hardware and not footage from a real deployment. The sensor and track markers on top are drawn from the system's own logic.
Not a package
Dynamic deployment
No two sites get the same setup.
An airport, a port and a forward camp each have their own airspace, their own rules and their own equipment already in place. So we do not sell one set of boxes. We compose the layer around what the site actually needs — and build on what you already have.
01
We start at the site — not at the product
What has to be protected, where does the threat come from, which rules apply over your heads, and what do you already have? The mix follows from the answers. How many sensors, placed where, of which types — decided there, not in a catalogue.
02
You keep what works
If you already run radar, cameras or access control, they become part of the picture instead of being replaced. The interfaces are open and vendor-independent. We supply the decision layer on top — not a demand to clear the shelf.
03
Fixed, mobile — or both
The same layer can stand on a mast at a perimeter, travel with a convoy, or be unpacked at a temporary camp. When the task changes, the setup moves with it. Same software, same operation, throughout.
This is why the product tables carry no fixed figures: ranges, counts and interfaces are set per deployment. We state them once we know the site — and we do not invent them before.
Find by function
01 / 06
What does your site need?
Radar
Measures range, speed and heading — including targets with no radio emission.
VIGIL
Passive RF
Picks up the drone's control link — often before radar sees it.
VIGIL
Camera EO/IR
Puts eyes on the track — identification, day and night.
VIGIL
Command & control
One air picture, one prioritised queue — a human authorises.
HAMMER
Effector
The interface is ready — effect is delivered by an authorised partner, later phase.
Partner integration
Why now
02 / 06
The threat is not a projection. It is last season.
~19 drones, 7 hours, Article 4 invoked
F-16s and F-35s against ~$20k airframes — four of them downed. The exchange ratio is the whole argument for a ground-based layer.
Shut down twice inside 24 hours
~9,500 passengers, diversions to Nuremberg and Stuttgart. The second night is the point: a shutdown teaches the operator the tactic works.
Action Plan: €250M and a Drone Security Toolbox
The EU's drone and counter-drone security plan names the gap: not radar — a decision chain that can act on the picture.
Documented incidents · public reporting 2025–26 · stated as reported
The platform
03 / 06
Six modules, one decision layer.
The six modules are what we build. They are not a precondition: HAMMER and CORE fuse what is available — VAERN sensors, your existing sensors, third-party radar, RF or cameras — and hand the operator one picture.
Sensorradar · passive RF · EO/IR
VIGIL
sensor node SCOUT
/ mesh NEXUS
& control HAMMER
interfacepartner · later phase STRIKER
Sees the drone. Radar measures range and speed, passive RF picks up the control link, EO/IR puts eyes on it. Your own and third-party sensors come in through the same interface.
Open VIGIL →01 · Detect Forwardsensor node SCOUT
Puts the sensing where the threat is. Nodes on a tripod or a vehicle that deploy forward with the task instead of waiting for it.
Open nodes →01 · Detect Datalink/ mesh NEXUS
Keeps the nodes connected. If one link drops, traffic reroutes and the node buffers locally until it is back.
Open NEXUS →02 · Connect Edge AIfusion · classification COREWorks out what the track is — and shows its evidence. Fuses every sensor, VAERN's or third-party, into one classification you can audit.
Open CORE →03 · Understand Command& control HAMMER
Gives the operator one picture and one clear choice. Every consequential decision is authorised by a person — and logged.
Open HAMMER →04 · Decide Effectorinterfacepartner · later phase STRIKER
Hands the authorised decision on. VAERN delivers no effect itself — the interface is effector-agnostic, and integration runs through an authorised partner.
Learn more →05 · EffectHow it works
04 / 06
From detection to accountable decision.
01DetectVIGIL
Multi-sensor detection: radar, passive RF and EO/IR — VAERN's own or existing third-party sensors.
02ConnectNEXUS · SCOUT
Resilient mesh links forward nodes into one network.
03UnderstandCORE
Explainable edge-AI fuses sensors and classifies tracks.
04DecideHAMMER
The operator sees one air picture and authorises the response.
05EffectPartner
Effectors integrate later via an authorised partner — effector-agnostic by design.
Sectors
05 / 06
The same console. Whatever the ground looks like.
Airports
Runway, approach and apron under one air picture — without closure as the only answer.
See the deployment →Energy & ports
Critical infrastructure over built-up ground and water — where proportionality decides the response.
See the deployment →Defence & bases
Fixed and temporary military sites — from air base to readiness area.
See the deployment →Mobile convoy
The whole layer on vehicles: sensors, mesh and C2 move with you — the same picture on the move as at a fixed site.
See the deployment →
Principle
An operator supported by AI — accountable for every decision that matters.
Dual-use decision layer
Explainable AI
European supply chain
Dynamic deployment & architecture
FAQ
06 / 06
The questions we get asked.
Is VAERN a weapons company?
No. VAERN builds the dual-use decision and control layer: sensors, fusion, classification and the operator console — built for civil airspace monitoring and defence tasks alike. Effect is delivered — in a later phase — exclusively via an authorised partner, and the interface is effector-agnostic.
Does it work with the sensors we already have?
Yes. HAMMER and CORE fuse what is available on site — VAERN sensors, your existing or third-party radar, RF and cameras. Vendor independence is an architectural choice, not an add-on.
Does HAMMER automate the decision?
No. Every consequential decision is authorised by a person, and the whole chain is logged — from first detection to authorisation. Explainable AI means the operator can see the evidence behind every classification.
What do the Norse names mean?
The function always comes first: Sensor → VIGIL. Forward node → SCOUT. Datalink → NEXUS. Edge AI → CORE. Command & control → HAMMER. Effector interface → Partner integration. You never need the name to find the function.
How far along are you?
The modules are at MVP stage, and we publish no numbers we cannot stand behind. The architecture is open on the platform page, and the TRL roadmap on the investor page — and the console can be seen in a guided demo.
Guided demo
Request a demo
Thirty minutes in the console says more than the rest of this page.
We walk you through five deployment scenarios — airport, energy & port, military base, mobile convoy and helipad & hospital: multi-sensor fusion, explainable classification, and the decision the operator has to authorise. The scenarios are synthetic and the commands simulated — we say so before you ask.
5deployment scenarios
Multi-sensorfusion
Human-authorisedengagement
Investor or funder? The market with sources, the roadmap, the TRL status and what the funding is for are on the investors page.