Destinus and the Netherlands Ministry of Defence have launched the Hornet B2 naval counter-UAS development program that will integrate Hornet B2 with Royal Netherlands Navy warships and develop the system towards a possible initial operating capability.
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 the second quarter of 2027.
Hornet B2 is built around a different architecture from a traditional interceptor missile, Destinus said.
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.
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.
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.
''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.''