Alpine Eagle, a startup developing a counter-drone system and testing it in Ukraine, has raised €10.25 million

German startup Alpine Eagle, which is developing a cost-effective anti-drone system called Sentinel, has closed a new round of funding worth €10.25 million. This will help the startup expand its team to 40 people, TechCrunch reports.

The war in Ukraine has shown that drones can be very effective, with a single $500 FPV capable of taking out an entire tank that costs millions of dollars. However, existing anti-drone systems, such as ground-based defense systems and other interception methods, are outdated and expensive. Alpine Eagle is trying to reduce the cost of countering drones with low-cost systems.

The Sentinel Counter-UAS System from a German startup is a complex of sensors and air-to-air interceptors designed to detect, classify and neutralize unmanned aerial vehicles, including small drones. It provides early warning of enemy UAVs and their interception from a distance. To do this, Sentinel uses artificial intelligence and high-performance edge computing. The system is designed to work in difficult conditions and can be controlled by a single operator.

In addition to detecting and suppressing threats, Sentinel is equipped with kamikaze interceptors capable of capturing objects with nets or destroying them. Although the system can be used in a variety of fields, including law enforcement, due to the current geopolitical situation, Alpine Eagle is focusing on its military application.

Alpine Eagle’s first customers were the German military and government agencies, helping the startup achieve seven-figure revenue in its first year of operation. This, in turn, contributed to the successful closing of a new €10.25 million funding round led by UK-based deep-tech venture capital firm IQ Capital. Alpine Eagle will use the proceeds to expand its team, bringing in experts in machine learning, aeronautical engineering, product development, engineering, business strategy, and sales.

Raising funding from a British venture capital firm is also part of the strategy, as Alpine Eagle plans to enter the UK market. At the same time, startup co-founder Jan-Hendrik Bolens emphasizes that he does not want to rush the implementation of the Sentinel system in Ukraine.

"Our approach there was to make sure that we first have a mature system to deliver to them so that we don’t waste their time with something that’s not working yet. We’ve seen too many startups doing that, and we felt we should only go there once the system is actually doing what it’s supposed to do," Boelens said.

However, after successful testing in the German army, Alpine Eagle has already begun testing Sentinel in Ukraine. The startup is working with various brigades to determine the most effective scenarios for the system’s use on the front lines. One such scenario is combating fiber-optic drones, which do not use radio waves and therefore remain invulnerable to traditional electronic warfare.