Defence companies in the Netherlands
The Netherlands raised its defence budget to €27 billion for 2026 as it works toward NATO's 5 % of GDP target by 2035, a sharp acceleration from the €22 billion spent in 2025. Thales Nederland and Rheinmetall's Ede operation are the main industrial anchors, while the Delft quantum cluster, backed by the €615 million Quantum Delta NL programme, has drawn in defence-focused quantum hardware firms including QuiX Quantum and QuantWare. The country accounts for a disproportionate share of European quantum hardware manufacturing capacity.
Sectors in the Netherlands
All Defence Companies in the Netherlands
Builds electric long-range VTOL drones for military reconnaissance and surveillance.
Develops deployable computer vision software for drone platforms and counter-UAS systems, covering detection, GNSS-independent navigation and autonomous interception in contested environments.
Builds neuromorphic processors and developer tools that run brain-inspired AI directly on sensors and edge devices at ultra-low power.
Builds autonomy software for military unmanned systems, enabling drones and ground robots across air, land and sea to plan, coordinate and execute missions through a single command and control interface.
Builds 3D radar systems that detect, track and classify small flying objects — birds, bats and drones — for military, airport, wind farm and critical infrastructure customers worldwide.
Develops AI-powered autonomy software for unmanned military systems across air, land, and sea domains. Their Nexus™ platform enables multi-domain distributed mission autonomy, allowing unmanned systems to autonomously plan, coordinate, and execute complex missions.
Dutch smallsat manufacturer building CubeSat platforms and satellite systems from Delft. Has launched 101 satellites and delivered 784 subsystems. Signed a framework agreement with the Dutch Ministry of Defence to develop, build, and launch military reconnaissance satellites.
Develops quantum key distribution (QKD) technology providing ultra-secure data communications and quantum networking solutions for critical infrastructure.
Manufactures lightweight composite doors, hatches and masts for naval vessels, including the only maritime composite door certified for 60-minute fire resistance. Holds a multi-year supply contract with Damen Naval for the Anti-Submarine Warfare Frigate programme.
Builds threat intelligence platforms and tools that help security teams collect, process and act on cyber threat data across government, military and enterprise environments.
Designs, manufactures and rents autonomous underwater drones for high-resolution seabed inspection, serving both offshore industry and naval forces.
Develops unmanned vessels (USVs) for maritime operations with autonomous capabilities. Their first vessel is a solar-powered drone harvester for seaweed and marine debris cleanup operations.
SINTEG Systems is a TU Delft spin-off developing advanced inspection technologies for composite structures. Their wireless sensor systems enable in-situ, real-time, and non-intrusive evaluation of composite materials using innovative ultrasound-based inspection technology, providing quantifiable assessment of material integrity.
Spherical Systems designs dedicated semiconductors and electronic subsystems for defence satellites. Their technology manipulates electronic circuits at the transistor level, enabling systems that are smaller, more reliable, and highly software configurable. Supported by Netherlands Industries for Defence & Security.
Hand-crafts high-performance quadcopter and multirotor drones for military and government use from its facility in Uden. Supplies the Royal Netherlands Army with Zoe M4 tactical UAVs for real-time 2D and 3D mapping in combat operations.
Aircision develops high-capacity free-space optical communication systems for fast-deployable, long-distance and secure wireless backhaul links.
Advanced materials company developing high-performance ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) using innovative melt infiltration process. Creates Carbeon carbon-ceramic components for aerospace and defence applications including nozzles, airframes, and thermal protection systems.
Develops and manufactures ammunition, small arms, grenade launchers, loitering munitions and FPV drones for NATO armed forces, with demilitarization and munitions recycling services alongside production.
Avy builds long-range VTOL drone networks for emergency response, remote monitoring and intelligent surveillance, centered on the Aera aircraft and BVLOS operations.
Space instrumentation company building electro-optical payloads and hyperspectral imaging systems for satellites. Developing the Valk very-high-resolution EO instrument for the Dutch military's PAMI-1 ISR satellite, scheduled to launch in 2027. Founded 1998, ~65 employees across Sassenheim, Berlin, and Benevento.
Quantum key distribution (QKD) startup developing the first CV-QKD transceiver in a standard QSFP-28 pluggable form factor, integrating quantum encryption into existing fibre networks. TU Eindhoven spinoff selected for NATO DIANA 2025 accelerator. Established the first quantum-secured government connection in the Netherlands.
Designs and manufactures specialist military vehicles including the GRF (VECTOR) light tactical vehicle and Mammoth multirole combat platform. Supplies the Royal Netherlands Army and German Bundeswehr from its production facility in Tiel.
Designs and manufactures bird-shaped fixed-wing drones that mimic the form and flight of birds of prey for covert military surveillance. Originally pioneered live eagle counter-drone interception with Dutch police before pivoting to biomimetic UAV production.
VTOL drone manufacturer supplying the Dutch Ministry of Defence with the Airboxer UAV for maritime and land operations. The 32 kg system flies 3-4 hours with 7 kg payload capacity and 50 km range, IP-67 rated for all-weather use.
Provides offline data transfer solutions enabling secure data exchange without internet connectivity. Specializes in air-gapped data transfer systems for sensitive environments.
Develops battlefield acoustic sensors using MEMS-based Acoustic Vector Sensor technology for 3D detection and localisation of gunfire, rockets, artillery and vehicles. Supplies the Royal Netherlands Army with RAM-SCORE counter-battery systems.
Leads fiber optic sensing technology providing ultra-sensitive early warning systems for defence and energy sectors. Specializes in state-of-the-art sensing systems.
Modular ballistic protection shields for military and law enforcement special operations units. Three shield sizes (PAC270 to PAC405) with mission-specific accessories including the POWERPAC battery and PACCAM integrated camera. Government end-users only.
Develops AI-driven radar perception software for autonomous vehicles, robots, and aerospace applications, providing LiDAR-like performance at a fraction of the cost.
Builds immersive VR training systems for military and law enforcement, including deployable squad-level kits with 12 trainee positions and 95% availability. Customers include the Dutch, German, Finnish and Danish Ministries of Defence and the European Defence Agency.
Specializes in Multi-Party Computation technology enabling secure collaboration on encrypted data, allowing organizations to analyze sensitive datasets without exposing raw data.
Develops force and haptic feedback gloves that enable users to feel virtual objects in VR for training and research applications.
AI-powered deepfake detection platform that identifies synthetic media and provides cybersecurity solutions against AI-generated threats.
Builds automated drone-in-a-box systems capable of 200 flights per day from a single SkyHive droneport using robotic battery swapping. Operates up to 5 drones simultaneously for 24/7 surveillance across 100 square kilometres at centimetre-level resolution.
High-energy drone battery manufacturer delivering 450 Wh/kg silicon-anode packs that extend UAV flight endurance by 30-100%. Signed a large-scale battery contract with the Dutch Ministry of Defence in 2025 and supplies drone makers in 14 countries including Ukraine.
Non-lethal vehicle arrest systems for military and law enforcement. Products include the X-Net spiked net (stops vehicles up to 10 tonnes at 80 km/h, weighs 22 kg) and remote-controlled Shark Spike strip effective to 130 km/h.
Develops compact edge-AI navigation modules for GPS-denied environments, sized at 50x50x20mm and weighing 50 grams. The SignalVoid system uses visual odometry matched against satellite imagery to achieve 20-metre accuracy without any satellite link across 1,000 km2 maps.
Designs and produces military reconnaissance drones including the Jolt 01 quadcopter, an EU-made autonomous ISR UAV resistant to electronic warfare and GNSS-denied environments. Partnered with the Dutch Ministry of Defence to develop over 1,000 reconnaissance drones.
