Deals · Defence
AirHub raises €4.4M Series A for mission-critical drone software
Builds software to plan, execute and manage drone missions across security, defence, public-safety and critical-infrastructure operations.
“We see a clear need for trusted software that helps teams execute drone missions securely, effectively and at scale, while strengthening Europe's ability to rely on its own technology in critical operations.”
Groningen-based AirHub has raised a €4.4 million Series A to grow as a European provider of software for running drone missions in security, defence, public safety and critical infrastructure. The round was backed by Keen Venture Partners and Runway FBU, alongside existing investors Lumaux and LUMO Labs; no single lead was named.
Software, not hardware
AirHub's bet is that the bottleneck in operational drone use is not the aircraft but the software that coordinates it. Its main product, the AirHub Drone Operations Centre, gives teams a single platform to prepare missions, fly drones during incidents, monitor live video for command oversight, and handle compliance and reporting — the goal being to fold drones into everyday operations rather than treat them as standalone gadgets.
Co-CEO and co-founder Thomas Brinkman frames the round around European sovereignty: the need for "trusted software" that lets organisations run drone missions at scale while keeping control of their data and systems. It is a theme running through the whole of European defence-tech in 2026 — the push to depend on home-built rather than foreign technology in critical operations.
From flying drones to stopping them
Founded in 2017, AirHub already counts a striking roster of operational users — including Dubai Police, the Belgian Federal Police, Portuguese Bombeiros, Dutch Customs, Securitas, Shell and the rail operator ProRail — using its software for incident response, infrastructure inspection and security monitoring.
The Series A funds an expanded international team, improvements to the Operations Centre, and two new products: MilHub, aimed at defence settings, and SecHub, which extends into wider security operations and adds a counter-drone capability for detecting and responding to drone threats. That last piece is telling: as cheap drones proliferate on both sides of every front line and perimeter, the market for software that stops them is growing as fast as the market for software that flies them.
Sources
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