Destinus Group BV has completed the acquisition of Swiss AI pioneer Daedalean AG in a transaction valued at approximately $225 million. The strategic move positions Daedalean as a core innovation hub within Destinus, centralizing expertise in AI engineering, autonomy research, and advanced perception.
The integration significantly bolsters Destinus’s sovereign European capabilities for both defense and civilian applications. For civil aviation, Daedalean’s work on safety-critical autonomy, pilot assistance, and next-generation navigation will continue. In defense, the acquisition accelerates the deployment of advanced AI across Destinus’s high-speed autonomous platforms. Key focus areas now include GNSS-denied navigation for contested environments, AI-enabled seekers for interceptors and cruise missiles, and autonomous mission planning. The combined expertise will also advance technologies for unmanned system swarming and sensor fusion with onboard AI reasoning.
“Finalizing this acquisition marks an important milestone for Destinus and for Europe’s ability to build sovereign, high-performance AI systems,” stated Mikhail Kokorich, Founder and CEO of Destinus. “Daedalean brings exceptional engineering talent and world-class expertise in safety-critical AI. Together, we will accelerate the deployment of next-generation autonomous systems.”
The acquisition also brings key Daedalean leadership into new Destinus roles. Bas Gouverneur, former Daedalean CEO, becomes Chief Military Program Officer, overseeing defense integration. Yvonne Gross, former VP of Finance & Operations, joins as Director of Operations and Infrastructure to support industrial scale-up.
Furthermore, Destinus announced the appointment of Brontë Hamilton as its new Chief Financial Officer. She will oversee financial strategy during the company’s rapid expansion phase.
This transaction reinforces Destinus’s vertically integrated model, combining cutting-edge AI research with industrial-scale defense production. The partnership aims to deliver next-generation autonomous capabilities for national defense while simultaneously supporting the long-term modernization and safety of global civil aviation.
