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Drone Developer Destinus Acquires AI Pioneer Daedalean
By: Charles Alcock
Caption: Destinus has put plans for a hydrogen-powered hypersonic aircraft on hold
Word Count: 370
Drone developer Destinus has agreed to acquire artificial intelligence-backed avionics specialist Daedalean. The deal was announced on August 5 by the European companies with a reported cash-and-stock price tag of approximately $225 million when it closes by year-end.
Since 2016, Daedalean has been developing what it calls situational intelligence capability with AI-backed software supporting pilots with environmental awareness and navigation in GNSS-denied conditions. Destinus said this technology could be integrated with the Ruta, Hornet and Lord uncrewed air systems it is bringing to market for both the civil and defense sectors.
Over the past two years, Destinus’ business plan has shifted significantly with a shift away from plans to develop a hydrogen-powered hypersonic aircraft. Since flying its Jungfrau technology demonstrator in May 2023 has put this program on hold.
“For now, we are fully focused on developing advanced systems for unmanned aerial vehicles, primarily for the defense sector and other applications,” a company spokesperson told AIN. “We remain committed to our long-term vision of hypersonic flight and will return when the timing, market readiness, and technological priorities align.”
Hypersonic Airliners Not Yet Viable
According to Destinus, the viability of a hydrogen-powered hypersonic passenger airliner is highly uncertain due to multiple technical, regulator, and operational constraints. Instead, the company now sees hypersonic uncrewed vehicles as primarily being applicable for the defense sector.
Daedalean’s team includes more than 150 technical specialists, with 13 PhDs on the payroll with expertise in AI, machine learning, and avionics. The company’s CEO, Bas Gouverneur said the merger with Destinus will build on collaborative work the two companies have already been engaged in.
“We plan to use Daedalean’s AI technologies to enable advanced navigation in environments without GPS, enhance situational awareness, and support autonomous or semi-autonomous decision-making,” Destinus said. “This includes airborne and ground-based object detection and classification, and AI-assisted support for human operators who may be remotely managing these systems. We also see strong potential for using AI to enable more intelligent swarm coordination and reduce operator workload in complex scenarios. Depending on mission profiles and customer needs, these capabilities will be progressively integrated into platforms such as Ruta, Hornet, and Lord.”