Analysis

October 3, 2025

Why counter drone and air defence startups might be the next big investment area in defence

Recent attacks in Ukraine and scares in Denmark have put air defence on the top of the agenda — but startups are still very early in their development

Anne Sraders

7 min read

As Russia rains increasing drone attacks on Ukraine and countries at peace like Denmark spot unidentified drones flying near military bases, the European tech scene’s attention has quickly shifted from strike drone startups to a crucial counterpart: air defence systems, or counter drone technology. 

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Anne Sraders

Anne Sraders is a senior reporter at Sifted, based in Berlin. She covers the venture capital industry and deeptech startups, including robotics, spacetech and defence tech. She also writes Sifted's weekly VC newsletter Up Round. Follow her on X and LinkedIn

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