Honeywell has announced a collaboration with Odys Aviation, a dual-use aerospace company developing hybrid-electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, to deliver a persistent airborne defence solution aimed at protecting critical infrastructure from evolving drone threats.
The partnership builds on more than a year of joint development to integrate Honeywell Aerospace’s Stationary and Mobile UAS Reveal and Intercept (SAMURAI) Autonomous Airborne platform with Odys’ long-range Laila UAV. The effort aligns with U.S. strategy to strengthen leadership in advanced aviation and accelerate deployment of domestically built drone technologies for defence and infrastructure protection.
The combined Laila-SAMURAI system creates a new defensive layer between ground-based sensors and high-end missile systems, reducing reliance on costly kinetic responses while expanding coverage across large and remote areas. This is particularly relevant for distributed energy assets such as pipelines, refineries and offshore platforms.
Matt Milas, president of Defense and Space at Honeywell Aerospace, said SAMURAI delivers scalable counter-UAS capabilities with reliable integration into existing defence architectures. Odys CEO James Dorris added that modern drone threats require persistent, wide-area protection and early engagement at range.
Laila will be the first airborne platform to deploy SAMURAI. Its hybrid propulsion system, compatible with multiple fuels, enables up to eight hours of flight across a 450-mile range without requiring dedicated charging infrastructure, supporting rapid deployment in remote environments.
Built using model-based systems engineering, SAMURAI is a modular, open-architecture solution designed for interoperability, flexibility and long-term sustainment.
Source: Honeywell