{
  "id": 4798494,
  "title": "Start-up: Wie ein Quereinsteiger die laserbasierte Drohnenabwehr in Deutschland etablieren will",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/start-up-wie-ein-quereinsteiger-die-laserbasierte-drohnenabwehr-in",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-01T06:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/start-ups/start-up-ein-quereinsteiger-will-die-deutsche-drohnenabwehr-revolutionieren/100250729.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "Following the attack attempt on Leipzig/Halle Airport four weeks ago, the background of Germany's drone defense remains unclear. However, it is now clear that drone defense in Germany needs to be expanded, and this is where Hannover-based start-up Inleap Photonics comes in. Co-founder Marius Lammers told the Handelsblatt, \"We could have prevented the incident in Leipzig.\" Inleap Photonics develops laser-based systems for drone defense, as well as for industrial manufacturing. They have now secured a new round of funding led by UVC Partners, with the total amount collected being 20 million euros over the past three years since the company's inception. UVC Partners' Amanda Birkenholz believes laser technology is the most promising in drone defense, both militarily and civily, due to its low cost, quick response, continuous operation, and invisible laser beam. The German Defense Ministry and the Bundeswehr's Cyber Innovation Hub have already tested Inleap's laser technology. The idea of using their technology for drone defense was only proposed to the Inleap team in March of the previous year during a meeting with the Defense Minister. They have since developed their technology from a prototype to a highly sought-after solution for laser-based drone defense. Inleap's high-precision laser beam system destroys structures or control elements of drones, making it particularly suitable for protecting civilian infrastructure such as airports, energy facilities, and data centers. In the future, Inleap aims to expand its team of 30 employees, open new locations, expand research, and increase production. They plan to build a system per month by the end of 2027, up from one per month currently. This will not be enough to meet the demand, with thousands of Dutch sites suitable for drone defense. Inleap has also partnered with Stark Defence, a drone manufacturer, to integrate Inleap's autonomous Shield Laser Effector into Stark's drones, including the Virtus and Vanta drones, as well as an autonomous ground robot. Germany is still not well-prepared for discovering and combating drones, so Defense Minister Alexander Dobrindt wants to significantly expand the drone defense unit of the German police.",
  "summary": "Das Hannoveraner Start-up Inleap Photonics entwickelt Lasersystemtechnik und will Angriffe wie in Leipzig verhindern. Jetzt bekommt die Firma neues Geld, um die Produktion zu skalieren.",
  "key_points": [
    "Inleap Photonics develops laser-based drone defense systems.",
    "Secured 20 million euros in funding from UVC Partners over three years.",
    "Plans to expand team, open new locations, and increase production by end of 2027."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Inleap Photonics' funding and partnerships position it to capitalize on Germany's urgent need to expand drone defense, with its laser technology emerging as a promising solution for protecting critical infrastructure.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}