Innovation

Ingrained in our DNA

Innovations have made HENSOLDT into what it is today. Our company is based on a strong corporate heritage from leading European defence companies. Today, we stand for the pursuit of technological progress and innovation, the will to create premium, affordable solutions time and again, at the same time always maintaining a solid, practical sense of efficiency.

Moritz Carl Hensoldt, a pioneer in the field of optics and precision mechanics, developed benchmark technology solutions and products in his domain of binoculars and telescopic sights, revolutionising surveillance and reconnaissance as well as target acquisition in his time.

His relentless pursuit of innovation and his incomparable way of translating scientific findings into useful products, perfectly characterises the achievements of all the other heroes of technology who together formed the heritage of our company, working at predecessor companies such as AEG, Aerospatiale-Matra, Carl Zeiss, Cassidian, Daimler, Dornier, EADS, Siemens, and Telefunken, as well as Airbus.

Innovative Technologies

As a German high-tech company with a global brand, innovation is intrinsic to HENSOLDT’s DNA.

We've been pursuing innovative ideas which translate into technologies for the protection of forces across the globe and into a successful business for more than 150 years.
Read about our most recent innovations in our stories.

Stories: Innovations

TwInvis passive radar

With our new Twinvis passive radar, HENSOLDT has revolutionised classical radar technology. This system does not emit any signals itself, which means that it remains virtually invisible. Nevertheless it can even locate aircraft equipped with stealth technology.

Stories: Innovations

SETAS

Armoured vehicles have always had one big advantage – they protect their crew. However, this has so far been accompanied by a decisive disadvantage: the crew can only have a very limited view of their surroundings. HENSOLDT solves this problem with SETAS.

Stories: Innovation

Avionics Autopilots

Whether autonomous air taxis, parcel delivery from the air, surveillance or interception drones – numerous development projects are currently under way for the unmanned future of flying.
Leading the way: HENSOLDT’s subsidiary EUROAVIONICS with its autopilots.

Stories: Innovation

Xpeller - Counter UAV

HENSOLDT’s Xpeller counter-UAV system provides protection from the ever-increasing threat posed by over-the-counter drones, both in the military and the civil sector.

As a long-established technology company, we virtually carry innovation in our ‘DNA’. I’m not just saying that. It lies in the nature of our business.

Our customers are constantly exposed to new requirements and threats. As a result, the supplier that most quickly makes new technologies available is in the best position to meet these requirements. Thomas Müller

CEO HENSOLDT

HENSOLDT Ventures

With HENSOLDT Ventures, the process from the idea to the profitable business model has been structured and has become an integral part of the corporate culture.

Today, more than ever, the employees’ creativity and inventiveness are the capital of every successful enterprise.

This is particularly true when, like HENSOLDT, the company is operating in a strongly technology-driven market. But how can companies motivate their employees to pursue and develop their ‘flashes of inspiration’? How can successful products, services or business models be created from this? And how can external ideas be profitably integrated into a company’s own business?

These questions are answered by HENSOLDT Ventures. The department was founded in 2017 as an in-house start-up incubator that has its own budget to identify, support and implement new ideas for business. The main focus is on the use of AI-based technologies such as machine learning and big data analysis. HENSOLDT is very successful at turning innovative ideas into market-ready products, such as the Xpeller counter-UAV system and the TwInvis passive radar. Through the development of groundbreaking key technology, HENSOLDT helps to protect soldiers, security personnel and critical infrastructure.

How ideas turn into business

At the beginning, there is always, as there was for Moritz Carl Hensoldt, a good idea. And that must be found and nurtured. HENSOLDT has created the Innovation Board for this purpose, to which all employees can present their ideas. Should the Innovation Board believe that an idea could develop into a business model, then the first step has been taken.

And this is where HENSOLDT Ventures comes into play. With the in-house start-up academy founded for this specific purpose, they help the person who had the idea to further elaborate it.
With a board member as a sponsor at their side, budgets will be approved and, if necessary, prototypes will be produced and tested in the market. Setbacks are part of the process until the idea is ready for series production.

Paving the way for future business success

HENSOLDT Ventures not only provides the necessary resources and processes, but also helps the originator of the idea to overcome internal hurdles. These range from the familiar ‘We have always done it like that’ to possible overlaps with existing products or services. At the same time HENSOLDT Ventures is already thinking about the decisive step ahead.

After all, an idea is only as good as its future commercial success. This is why considerations about possible new products or even business lines based on them, including possible spin-offs, are made right from the outset.

Moreover, HENSOLDT Ventures is also constantly looking for opportunities to invest in innovative activities that match its own business model and can be integrated into the company through collaborations or joint ventures.