Autonomous drones take flight as UAV company Destinus acquires AI avionics pioneer Daedalean
August 7, 2025
UAV maker Destinus has made a strategic investment to take over Zurich-based artificial intelligence firm Daedalean AG in a CHF 180 million ($225 million) cash-and-stock deal.
The acquisition aims to transform its drones into a new class of intelligent, autonomous aircraft for defence and civilian markets.
The strategic deal is set to accelerate Destinus’s development of AI-powered flight systems, particularly for high-demand conflict zones such as Ukraine, where its drones are already in operational use.
The acquisition brings certifiable, safety-critical AI into the company’s core offering, bolstering its capabilities in swarm operations, autonomous decision-making, and human-operator collaboration.
Destinus expects the deal to close by the end of 2025.
Autonomous drones with AI for real-world conflict
Founded in Zurich in 2016, Daedalean is widely regarded as a leader in aviation-grade machine learning.
Its flight control systems are designed to function without reliance on satellite navigation, enabling safe operation in GPS- or GNSS-denied environments, an increasingly common challenge in modern battlefields like Ukraine, where jamming and spoofing are prevalent.
🇺🇦 The Ruta missile drone will receive a navigation system independent of GPS and electronic warfare, – Defense Express pic.twitter.com/hgJ04ALdvc
— Slava 🇺🇦 (@Heroiam_Slava) May 17, 2025
By acquiring Daedalean’s 150-strong team, including 13 PhDs with expertise in avionics, neural networks, and embedded AI, Destinus is significantly strengthening its internal capability to build resilient, adaptive UAV systems.
“This acquisition strengthens our technological position by adding world-class AI expertise and deep-learning specialists,” said Tim Moser, Co-founder and CTO of Destinus. “Integrating Daedalean’s innovative solutions and exceptional team will accelerate our strategy to develop, certify, and launch intelligent UAV systems for defence and civil markets.”
Bolstering Ukraine’s capabilities with AI drones
Founded in 2021 and headquartered in the Netherlands, Destinus has rapidly become one of Europe’s largest UAV developers, employing over 500 people across sites in Germany, Switzerland, France, the UK, Spain, and Ukraine.
Destinus drones have already been deployed in Ukraine, where they have demonstrated resilience in contested airspace and navigation-denied scenarios.
The integration of Daedalean’s AI will further enhance tactical flexibility and real-time mission adaptability, capabilities that are increasingly critical in asymmetric warfare and complex commercial operations alike.
“Joining Destinus is a logical next step after our successful collaboration,” said Bas Gouverneur, CEO of Daedalean. “Together, we’ll deliver innovative autonomy, swarm intelligence, and sophisticated decision-making tools to market faster, making flight safer, more resilient, and operationally flexible.”
The company is also developing hypersonic aircraft, positioning itself at the intersection of next-generation aviation and dual-use defence technologies.
A pivotal moment for autonomous flight
As Western aerospace and defence industries shift rapidly toward AI integration, the Destinus-Daedalean deal may mark a defining moment in Europe’s trajectory toward certified, autonomous flight.
The Daedalean acquisition supports Destinus’s long-term strategy of vertically integrating aerospace hardware with adaptive software, reducing time-to-market and strengthening its position in a competitive, AI-driven defence landscape.
It also places Destinus alongside a growing field of European players—including Helsing, Leonardo, and Airbus—pushing to integrate certified AI into UAVs and military aviation systems.
With autonomous systems now a strategic imperative, and Ukraine a live proving ground for their deployment, Destinus is betting on a future where machine-led flight is not just viable, but operationally essential.
