Honeywell joins Odys on airborne C‑UAS tech

Honeywell Aerospace and Odys Aviation said on March 31 they are building an airborne counter-drone system by putting Honeywell’s SAMURAI defense package on Odys’ Laila hybrid-electric vertical takeoff aircraft. (honeywell.com) The companies said the target is “persistent” protection for critical infrastructure and strategic assets, using an aircraft that can stay aloft and extend the reach of ground defenses. Honeywell said SAMURAI is its Stationary and Mobile UAS Reveal and Intercept system. (honeywell.com) Counter-unmanned aerial systems are built to detect, track, identify and stop hostile drones. Honeywell says its system is modular and platform-agnostic, meaning the same core software and sensors can be fitted to different vehicles and sites. (honeywell.com) Odys’ role is the aircraft itself: Laila is a long-range, hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, a design that lifts off like a helicopter and then flies more like a conventional plane to cover more distance. Odys says its propulsion technology spans systems from 30 kilowatts to more than 1 megawatt and is aimed at longer-range missions than battery-only aircraft. (odysaviation.com) Honeywell said this counter-drone project builds on more than a year of joint development and systems integration work with Odys. The two companies had already announced a July 24, 2024 memorandum of understanding on ground control stations for Odys aircraft in Oman and the Pacific. (honeywell.com 1) (honeywell.com 2) The pitch is a new layer in air defense. Honeywell said the airborne system is meant to complement ground-based sensors and higher-end missile defenses, while Odys described the goal as engaging threats farther from the asset being protected. (honeywell.com) (odysaviation.com) That reflects a wider shift in drone defense toward cheaper, repeatable responses to small unmanned aircraft and swarms. Honeywell has separately said counter-drone systems are increasingly being used for military bases, border security and critical infrastructure as low-cost drone threats spread. (honeywell.com) Industry coverage says the Laila-SAMURAI pairing would be the first airborne application of Honeywell’s SAMURAI system, moving the company’s counter-drone stack off fixed and ground-mobile setups and onto a long-endurance aircraft. That would give operators a roaming sensor and interceptor node rather than a defense line tied to one perimeter. (aerospaceglobalnews.com) (breakingdefense.com) Neither company disclosed a contract value, customer, fielding date or test timeline in the March 31 announcement. For now, the deal is a sign that counter-drone programs are moving toward aircraft that can hunt threats away from the fence line instead of waiting for them to arrive. (honeywell.com)