A newcomer bets on bullets, not jammers, in the fight against drones

A Danish start-up is developing a counter-UAS protection system that it intends to market globally.

Operating under the name Prydy - a variation and shortening of the Ukrainian word for "ghost"- the company emerged publicly on Wednesday through LinkedIn posts following more than a year of preparation.

- We are selling a capability designed to protect against near-field, mid-range threats such as attacking drones, said Henrik Albertsen, co-founder and chief executive officer of Prydy.

Shahed-drones

Albertsen brings extensive technical and commercial experience to the company. Early in his career, he worked with sensor technologies. For the past three decades, he has focused on venture capital, founding and developing several companies. 

Albertsen also served as chairman of Swedish defence technology company Exensor Technology, now Bertin Exensor, which was acquired by France's Bertin Technologies in 2017.

- I understand to a certain degree defence, why it matters and what the challenges are, he says.

As Iranian-designed Shahed drones became an increasingly prominent threat, Albertsen began considering a technical solution.

- The question was how to shoot down the drones, he said.

Following discussions with his business partner and Denmark's Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO), Albertsen concluded that access to operational data from Ukraine would be essential to developing an effective system.

- We believed that, with the right sensor technology, it would be possible to achieve the precision required to engage attacking drones effectively, he explains.

The founding team includes specialists with expertise spanning artificial intelligence, software, hardware and mechanical engineering and battlefield experience gained in Ukraine.

- The most important thing when setting the team was not how much equity to be held, but to ensure that all the right competencies would be available from day one, Albertsen notes.

Ukranian warfare

Prydy was established in Denmark in June 2025 and is backed by a group of private investors. During that year, the company has secured the necessary regulatory approvals, including authorisation to manufacture weapons in Denmark.

This is a notable achievement given the country's stringent regulations governing weapons production. At the end of 2024, only 41 companies held authorisation to manufacture weapons in Denmark, and the majority supplying systems or components rather than complete weapon systems.

- Things have moved very quickly, Albertsen says, adding that Prydy has also established a subsidiary in Kyiv.

- We are creating a modern defence company. That requires expertise across a wide range of disciplines, from advanced technology development to production and supply change management taken to the next level, Albertsen says.

- Ukraine is the most advanced country when it comes to modern warfare. That does not mean Denmark or other countries need to replicate every aspect of Ukrainian warfare, but there are important lessons that can be learned.

The system under development consists of a next generation control and command (C2) system and sensor-equipped turret platform available in illumination, deterrence and active-engagement configurations.

According to Albertsen, multiple turrets can be networked into a wider system, although he declined to disclose operational range. 

Depending on customer requirements, the turrets can be equipped with different effectors, ranging from precision rifles to larger-calibre weapons.

The concept is intended to protect frontline personnel in combat areas, augmentation of vehicles, UGVs and USVs, assets such as energy facilities and other critical infrastructure against drone threats.

Albertsen said testing of subsystems is progressing as planned. Prydy expects to conduct integrated system trials in Denmark within the coming months before moving to what he described as operationally relevant environments.

- The system will be tested thoroughly in Denmark before being deployed to other countries and customers, he said.

Multiple locations

Prydy also claims it will be able to establish production rapidly in multiple locations if required. 

Denmark will serve as the initial manufacturing hub, and Albertsen said the company and its investors are working to establish production at an undisclosed site in the country.

- The location and most of the funding are already in place, he said.

- We expect to have production capacity for larger production volumes in place by the end of the year.

Prydy will enter an increasingly competitive counter-UAS market. Major defence companies, including BAE Systems Bofors, Rheinmetall and others, already offer a range of counter-drone solutions. However, Albertsen argued that speed of innovation and substance of solutions in the end will decide what customers will buy.

- We introduce asymmetry, and that is our sole focus, he said pointing to the system as an inexpensive solution to an inexpensive problem.

- Many major weapon systems are simply too costly to counter large-scale drone attacks involving hundreds of targets. We believe we have developed a very strong solution that is, as far as we can determine, close to optimal.