A new Concept Development & Evaluation (CD&E) program will integrate the Hornet B2 interceptor with Royal Netherlands Navy warships and develop the system toward a possible initial operating capability.
Naval air defence faces an increasingly difficult economics problem. Low-cost aerial threats can arrive in volume, and meeting each one with a premium interceptor is an equation no navy can sustain. High-end naval air-defence missiles remain essential, but fleets also need an additional interceptor layer that can be deployed in greater numbers and matched more closely to the cost and scale of the threat.
The Netherlands Ministry of Defence and Destinus are now working to develop that layer with Hornet B2. The Ministry of Defence’s Materiel and IT Command, COMMIT, has signed a contract with Destinus to launch a CD&E program for a kinetic counter-UAS capability for the Royal Netherlands Navy. The program includes the delivery of Hornet B2 interceptor systems, integration with several Royal Netherlands Navy warships, and Integrated Logistics Support activities toward a possible initial operating capability. The CD&E program is scheduled for completion in Q2 2027.
A Different Approach to Naval Interception
Hornet B2 is built around a different architecture from a traditional interceptor missile. The system is stored in a sealed canister and launched by a rocket booster. After launch, it deploys folding wings and transitions to electric-powered cruise flight. This combines missile-class launch readiness with aircraft-class range and endurance, while targeting a cost per engagement far below that of traditional interceptor missiles.
Hornet B2 is designed to engage one-way attack systems using electro-optical and infrared sensing, supported by AI-based processing during the terminal phase. Engagement decisions remain under human command in accordance with applicable rules of engagement. Its predecessor, Hornet B1, is already in serial production.
Built with the Operators from the Start
Royal Netherlands Navy operators will be involved directly throughout the CD&E program. They will contribute operational expertise and help shape the capability requirements and system specifications as Hornet B2 is developed for the naval environment.
For naval systems, that distinction matters. The interceptor itself is only one part of the capability. Ship integration, logistics, operator requirements, support, and operating procedures all have to work together. Bringing those requirements into the development process from the outset reduces the need to adapt a finished system after development.
Mikhail Kokorich, CEO of Destinus, stated: “Low-cost aerial threats have inverted the economics of naval air defence: no navy can sustainably trade multimillion-euro missiles against low-cost threats arriving at volume. Hornet B2 answers this with a different architecture: launched from a canister like a missile, cruising on electric power like an aircraft, and engaging subsonic threats at a fraction of the cost per engagement. Developing this capability together with COMMIT and the Royal Netherlands Navy from day one means it will be shaped by the operators who will depend on it.”
