Honeywell partners with Odys Aviation

Honeywell and Odys Aviation said on March 31 that they are building an airborne counter-drone system around Odys’ Laila aircraft. (honeywell.com) The companies said Honeywell’s Stationary and Mobile UAS Reveal and Intercept, or SAMURAI, system will be deployed on Odys’ long-range Laila unmanned aircraft to protect critical infrastructure and strategic assets from drone threats. (honeywell.com) Counter-unmanned aircraft systems are tools that spot and track drones with radar, radio-frequency scans, cameras, infrared sensors, and acoustic sensors before an operator decides how to respond. The Department of Defense said in a March 2026 guide that these systems are used to protect public events, critical infrastructure, and national security sites. (defense.gov) Honeywell said the new setup adds an airborne layer between ground sensors and missile defenses, with a focus on sites such as refineries, pipelines, and offshore production platforms. Odys said its pitch is to push the engagement zone farther from the asset being defended. (honeywell.com) (odysaviation.com) The timing lines up with a broader Pentagon push on drone defense. A Defense Department fact sheet released in December 2024 said the department had launched Replicator 2 to defend critical installations and force concentrations against small aerial systems. (defense.gov) The Pentagon also updated homeland counter-drone policy on December 8, 2025, giving commanders more authority to extend defensive actions beyond an installation’s fence line and more flexibility in judging what counts as a threat. (defense.gov) Odys’ role in the partnership is not just the airframe. The company says its hybrid-electric propulsion systems span 30 kilowatts to more than 1 megawatt, a design aimed at giving aircraft more range and endurance than battery-only systems can usually provide. (odysaviation.com) On its website, Odys says Laila combines vertical takeoff capability with a 450-mile range, a 130-pound payload, and multi-hour endurance. Honeywell said the counter-drone collaboration builds on more than a year of joint development and systems integration work on that aircraft. (odysaviation.com) (honeywell.com) This is the second public Honeywell-Odys tie-up in less than two years. In July 2024, the companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding for Honeywell ground control stations to support Odys aircraft operations in Oman and the Pacific. (honeywell.com) The new project keeps that relationship centered on the same bet: pairing Honeywell’s avionics and defense systems with Odys aircraft that can stay aloft longer and operate farther from runways. (honeywell.com) (odysaviation.com)