At the ILA Berlin Air Show 2026, Destinus και Diehl Defence signed a teaming agreement aimed at enhancing European ground-based air defence and counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) capabilities through the integration of a new class of interceptor.

The agreement establishes cooperation on ground-based air defence and counter-UAS systems, with the first phase focusing on the integration of Destinus’ Hornet interceptor into Diehl Defence’s GARMR counter-UAS system. Hornet will serve as an additional effector within the GARMR architecture, providing a new interception capability designed to address emerging aerial threats.

The partnership also creates a pathway for Hornet to become a future secondary effector option within the IRIS-T Ground-Based Air Defence (GBAD) family of systems. Any future integration will be subject to phased validation processes and the necessary institutional and regulatory approvals.

The Hornet interceptor has been developed to counter a growing category of threats that occupy the space between traditional counter-drone systems and high-end surface-to-air missiles. These include jet-powered one-way attack drones, loitering munitions and glide bombs, which present significant challenges for air defence operators due to their combination of speed, cost-effectiveness and mass deployment potential.

While advanced missile systems remain highly effective against such threats, using expensive interceptors against large numbers of low-cost aerial targets can rapidly deplete air defence inventories during saturation attacks. Hornet has been designed to provide a more economical interception option, increasing magazine depth and preserving high-value missile assets for more demanding targets.

According to Destinus, Hornet is optimized for head-on interception missions against fast, low-cost aerial threats, creating an additional defensive layer within a broader air defence architecture.

“Modern air defence is no longer just a matter of capability. It is a question of capacity and cost-per-engagement,” said Mikhail Kokorich, Chief Executive Officer of Destinus.

He noted that Hornet offers a cost-effective layer beneath existing air defence systems, strengthening overall defensive capacity during high-volume attacks while helping operators manage the economics of modern air defence operations.

The integration effort will leverage GARMR’s modular architecture and standard interfaces, allowing multiple interceptor types and engagement concepts to operate under a common command-and-control framework. This approach supports the growing emphasis on layered air defence architectures, where different effectors are employed against different threat classes based on cost, range and operational requirements.

The cooperation between Destinus and Diehl Defence reflects the broader trend across Europe toward scalable and cost-efficient air defence solutions capable of responding to increasingly diverse and numerous aerial threats. As drone warfare and precision-guided munitions continue to reshape the battlefield, layered architectures combining high-end missiles with lower-cost interceptors are becoming an increasingly important element of modern air defence strategies.