Thunderstrike establishes major drone facility at Danish airport
One of the Fantom MK2 drones on display at the launch of the new testing facility at HCA Airport. (Photo: Municipality of Odense, Denmark)
The hangar will be used to eventually produce 200-300 drones per year.
Thunderstrike Aviation has inaugurated a major European UAV production facility at Hans Christian Andersen (HCA) Airport in Denmark.
The new hangar will be used initially for the development and testing of the company’s UAV technology, with plans to expand and open a production facility on site by the end of 2025.
It is hoped that once the production site goes into operation, it will produce between 200-300 platforms per year.
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HCA Airport in Odense is already the home to the UAS Denmark Testing Centre. Michael Larsen, head of the Testing Centre, said the addition of the Thunderstrike facility on site “further solidified the area’s position as a leading hub for advanced drone technology, and was an important addition to the drone ecosystem at HCA Airport”.
The presence of the testing centre means Odense is already recognised for its strong robotics and UAS ecosystem. The new production facility, covering 3,000m2 (9800ft2 ), is expected to employ around 30-50 people to produce its 200-300 UAV per year.
At the facility’s inauguration, two versions of Thunderstrike’s Fantom MK2 drone were on display—one fixed-wing model and one with VTOL capabilities. The Fantom MK2 is multifunctional, and has been used for military surveillance, border patrol, and civil protection. It has a flight endurance of more than 30h and a maximum range of 3,000km with a payload of up to 45kg.
The increase in Thunderstrike’s European production capacity chimes with an international defence industry understanding of the need to scale up drone production as they become a fundamental frontier defence system, crucial to the outcome of several conflicts around the world, including in Ukraine.
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