Munich-based counter-drone startup Alpine Eagle just announced a major scale-up of its Sentinel defense system. The company is opening a 2,000 square metre production site near Munich, entering a Dutch defense program, and teaming up with DeltaQuad to build out European supply chains. Here is everything you need to know about the move and why it matters right now.
What Alpine Eagle Just Announced
On Thursday, the Munich-based defense technology startup announced it is scaling production of its Sentinel counter-UAS system as European governments accelerate their search for drone defense capability.1
The company plans to open a 2,000 square metre production facility near Munich for its own-developed interceptors, and has struck a partnership with Dutch UAV manufacturer DeltaQuad to scale the broader Sentinel platform using industrial production capacity within a European supply chain.1
Alpine Eagle is now participating in a defense innovation program in the Netherlands, and over the past year, it has also conducted counter-drone trials in Ukraine and participated in Project Vanaheim, a counter-UAS trial involving the US and UK armed forces.2
The growth numbers tell the story. Alpine Eagle has expanded its team from 12 employees in 2024 to 50 in 2026, with plans to reach 100 employees this year as production scales.2
Alpine Eagle Sentinel counter-drone system European defense production scaling
How Sentinel Works and Why It Is Different
Sentinel is described as the world’s first air-to-air counter-drone system, delivering mobile, persistent defense against autonomous threats.3
Unlike most counter-drone solutions that sit on the ground, Sentinel takes the fight to the skies. The core system uses a mothership UAV carrying airborne interceptors, smaller drones that can capture hostile targets with nets or destroy them, supported by an AI-powered radar and sensor network.1
That airborne approach solves a real problem. Operating from altitude means Sentinel is not hindered by terrain that can mask low-flying drones from ground-based radars, and it avoids becoming a stationary target.1
Here is what makes the Sentinel system stand out:
- Multi-sensor fusion: Radar, radio-frequency scanning, and optical or infrared cameras working together
- AI-driven classification: Machine learning identifies and prioritizes threats in real time
- Swarm coordination: Multiple UAVs networked together create 360-degree coverage
- Hardware-agnostic software: The Sentinel-OS software platform is designed to be hardware-agnostic, integrating with both off-the-shelf and bespoke platforms.1
- ITAR-free: The system has been tested and fielded by the Bundeswehr, a NATO member4, and carries no US export restrictions
The Cost Problem Driving Urgent Demand
The economics of drone warfare have become impossible to ignore.
In April 2024, Iran launched roughly 300 drones and missiles at Israel. Defenders intercepted most of them, at an estimated cost of more than $1.5 billion. The attacking drones cost a fraction of that to produce.1
The same dynamic plays out on a daily basis in Ukraine, where cheap first-person-view drones overwhelm defenses that were never designed to handle volume.1
The core math is simple: When $500 first-person-view drones have the capacity to destroy multi-million-dollar tanks, cost-effective answers are needed.5
The European anti-drone market is expected to grow from $1.24 billion in 2025 to $4.16 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 27.5%.6 Meanwhile, the global counter-UAS market is projected to grow from $10.63 billion in 2026 to $69.67 billion by 2034, exhibiting a CAGR of 26.50%.7
That is the market Alpine Eagle is racing to capture.
How the DeltaQuad Partnership Speeds Up Delivery
Speed matters in defense procurement. And Alpine Eagle is betting big on its partnership with Dutch manufacturer DeltaQuad to deliver fast.
To support scalable production, Alpine Eagle integrates its technology with the DeltaQuad Evo, a UAV platform developed by Dutch manufacturer DeltaQuad.8 The DeltaQuad Evo is a long-range fully electric UAS platform that offers impressive mission endurances of up to 8 hours with flight ranges of up to 270 km.9
Made in the Netherlands from military-grade components, DeltaQuad’s solutions are engineered to withstand the demanding conditions of the modern battlefield.9
The speed claim is bold. Alpine Eagle says it can deliver operational capability within roughly four weeks of contract signature. CEO Jan-Hendrik Boelens told reporters that production can scale “from several hundred units to more than a thousand per month” because the facilities, permits, and production processes are already in place in the Netherlands.
The Evo platform has been constructed with the highest quality carbon, kevlar, and fiberglass, ensuring the utmost in longevity and performance in harsh operating conditions.9
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Platform | DeltaQuad Evo (fixed-wing VTOL) |
| Endurance | Up to 8 hours |
| Range | Up to 270 km |
| Manufacturing | Netherlands (European supply chain) |
| Interceptor Facility | 2,000 sqm near Munich |
| Delivery Timeline | Approx. 4 weeks from contract |
Battle-Tested From Ukraine to NATO Exercises
Alpine Eagle is not just a lab project. It has real operational credentials.
The company successfully completed trials of its counter-drone system with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The tests, conducted over the summer of 2025, showcased the company’s air-to-air counter-drone capabilities in one of the most challenging operational environments in the world.10
The pace of conflict and the scale of drone use by Russia, deploying hundreds of drones daily, provides unmatched opportunities for rapid feedback.10 Alpine Eagle has been invited to return for further testing and collaboration with Ukrainian forces along with plans for a deeper level of engagement over the longer term.11
The company also proved itself alongside allied forces. The system was evaluated in a joint UK-US trial under the UK Ministry of Defence’s Project Vanaheim. The exercise highlighted how integrating Sentinel into military networks could provide layered protection against swarming drone attacks.12
Back home, the German Bundeswehr became Sentinel’s launch customer in 2024.1 Alpine Eagle has since secured contracts with three new European customers and has expanded to the UK and the Netherlands.2
The funding backs up the momentum. The seed round, which closed in March 2025, was led by IQ Capital, with participation from HTGF, Expeditions Fund, and Sentris Capital.1 General Catalyst and HCVC, which led Alpine Eagle’s earlier pre-seed, also returned. Total funding stands at over 10 million euros.1
Why European Supply Chain Independence Matters Now
Alpine Eagle is deliberately building a European supply chain, and there is a reason for that urgency.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a 2 billion euro EU package dedicated to military drones, recognizing that drones have become “the keystone” of modern warfare.13 Furthermore, the anti-drone wall will receive an allocation of about 6 billion euros and will be developed in collaboration with Ukraine.13
European defense spending overall has been rising sharply, reaching 343 billion euros in 2024, the 10th consecutive year of growth, and projected to hit 381 billion euros in 2025.13
On February 11, 2026, the European Commission issued an Action Plan on Drone and Counter Drone Security, calling for a coordinated response from EU members to the growing problem.14
This is the environment Alpine Eagle is stepping into. Alpine Eagle was founded in 2023 by Jan-Hendrik Boelens, a Dutch aerospace engineer whose CV includes a decade at Airbus Helicopters, where he served as chief engineer on transnational helicopter development programs, followed by the CTO role at electric air taxi startup Volocopter and then CTO at autonomous UAV company Quantum Systems.1 He co-founded Alpine Eagle with Timo Breuer, a scientist with backgrounds at Microsoft Research and the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft.1
Their vision is clear. Boelens has said that the threats facing Europe are higher than they have been for decades and drones are transforming the battlefield faster than traditional defense systems can adapt. In a world where autonomous drone swarms are quickly becoming the norm, defense is no longer just about building better missiles. It is about building smarter, faster, cheaper networks that can think and respond at machine speed. Alpine Eagle is making a real bet that Europe’s airspace depends on it. And if the numbers, the partnerships, and the battlefield results are any guide, the world is starting to agree.
Drop your thoughts in the comments below. What do you think about Europe’s push for homegrown counter-drone technology
