Amsterdam-based software company Intelic has developed AI-controlled interceptor drones and an integrated command platform, Nexus, which is already being used in Ukraine to counter intensified Russian drone and missile attacks.
Contract and test
Intelic signed a €30 million contract with the Netherlands Ministry of Defence and opened an office in Kyiv. At the end of September the company conducted a test on a disused North Sea military airfield: the Nexus system fused inputs from multiple radars, sensors and cameras to identify a simulated hostile target; a reconnaissance drone confirmed the target with image recognition, and a high-speed interceptor drone neutralized it.
Maurits Korthals Altes, Intelic’s founder and CEO, said the final decision was made by a human operator — the system uses a “Human-in-the-Loop” approach — although the process can, in principle, be fully automated.
What Nexus integrates
The key feature of Nexus is integration. More than 700 drone manufacturers operate in Europe, and their products are not always interoperable. Nexus provides a single interface that combines drones from different manufacturers, radar-based detection, AI-based identification and the control of interceptor drones. That addresses practical problems on the battlefield where Ukrainian brigades operate with various drone types and different displays.
Anika Kempter, Intelic’s lead software engineer, said the platform replaces slower human communication channels (for example chat apps or phone calls) with autonomous systems, trimming minutes from detection-to-response timelines — a difference that can save lives. Nexus is being deployed to complement Ukraine’s Delta command-and-control system.
Context and funding figures
The Netherlands has provided more than €12.5 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since 2022, including nearly one million drones. According to the Kiel Institute, European support for drones was €400 million in 2022, rose to €1.2 billion in 2025, and reached €1.6 billion in the first four months of 2026 alone.
Deployment on the front line
Intelic says Nexus is already being installed in the Ukrainian theatre, where operational decisions are sometimes still relayed via chat apps or phones. By automating information flows between sensors, identification and interceptor control while retaining human oversight for final engagement, the platform aims to shorten response times and improve air-defence effectiveness.
