Honeywell, April 02, 2026 - PHOENIX & LONG BEACH, CA – Honeywell announced a collaboration with Odys Aviation, a dual-use aerospace company building hybrid-electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, to deliver a persistent airborne defense solution designed to protect critical infrastructure and strategic assets from rapidly evolving drone threats.
The collaboration on this counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) builds on more than a year of joint development and systems integration work to adapt Honeywell Aerospace’s Stationary and Mobile UAS Reveal and Intercept (SAMURAI) Autonomous Airborne platform for deployment on Odys' long-range Laila UAV. The effort supports the broader United States national strategy to further strengthen domestic leadership in advanced aviation and accelerate the deployment of American-built drone technologies across defense and critical infrastructure protection missions.
Together, the Laila-SAMURAI system introduces a new defensive layer between ground-based sensors and high-end missile defense systems, reducing reliance on costly kinetic defenses while extending protection coverage across vast and remote areas. This capability is particularly relevant for distributed energy infrastructure including refineries, pipelines and offshore production platforms.
Matt Milas, president, Defense and Space, Honeywell Aerospace, said "SAMURAI delivers critical counter-UAS capabilities with proven reliability, scalability and seamless integration into existing defense architectures. By leveraging Honeywell’s long history in avionics, sensors and defense systems, we are enabling C-UAS capabilities that protect farther, respond faster and operate with minimal downtime."
James Dorris, CEO of Odys Aviation, said "Drone threats have fundamentally changed the economics and operational requirements of air defense. Critical infrastructure and forward-operating locations require persistent protection across large areas and the ability to engage threats at the horizon long before they're at the doorstep. By combining Honeywell’s SAMURAI system with the endurance, runway independence and onboard power capability of Laila, we're introducing a new airborne defense layer designed for today and into the future."
Laila long range hybrid-electric vertical take-off and landing tactical drone
Laila will serve as the first airborne application of the Honeywell SAMURAI system, and its hybrid propulsion system – compatible with Jet A, Jet A-1, and JP-8 fuels – produces enough power to stay in flight for up to eight hours across a 450-mile range. Laila eliminates the need for dedicated charging infrastructure, enabling rapid deployment in remote, expeditionary and offshore environments.
Built using model-based systems engineering, SAMURAI provides a turnkey, modular solution that incorporates diverse customer-selected sensors and effectors. The system is compliant with Modular Open Systems Approach standards, supporting interoperability, lifecycle visibility and long-term sustainment.
About Honeywell Aerospace : Products and services from Honeywell Aerospace Technologies (NASDAQ: HON) are found on virtually every commercial, defense and space aircraft, and in many terrestrial systems. The Aerospace Technologies business unit builds aircraft engines, cockpit and cabin electronics, wireless connectivity, thermal, power and actuation systems, and more. Its hardware and software solutions create more fuel-efficient aircraft, more direct and on-time flights and safer skies and airports. For more information, visit aerospace.honeywell.com or follow Honeywell Aerospace Technologies on LinkedIn.
Honeywell is an integrated operating company serving a broad range of industries and geographies around the world, with a portfolio that is underpinned by our Honeywell Accelerator operating system and Honeywell Forge platform. As a trusted partner, we help organizations solve the world's toughest, most complex challenges, providing actionable solutions and innovations for aerospace, building automation, industrial automation, process automation, and process technology, that help make the world smarter and safer as well as more secure and sustainable.
About Odys Aviation : Odys Aviation designs, develops and manufactures long-range, technologically advanced dual-use VTOL aircraft that solve global challenges across defense, logistics, and passenger travel. The company is pioneering the next generation of VTOL aircraft which use hybrid-electric propulsion systems to deliver the optimal balance between range and payload.
Based in Long Beach, CA, Odys Aviation was launched in 2021 and is led by seasoned engineers and strategists from SpaceX, Airbus, Tesla and the U.S. Department of Defense. The company has $11B+ in signed LOIs to date.
The collaboration on this counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) builds on more than a year of joint development and systems integration work to adapt Honeywell Aerospace’s Stationary and Mobile UAS Reveal and Intercept (SAMURAI) Autonomous Airborne platform for deployment on Odys' long-range Laila UAV. The effort supports the broader United States national strategy to further strengthen domestic leadership in advanced aviation and accelerate the deployment of American-built drone technologies across defense and critical infrastructure protection missions.
Together, the Laila-SAMURAI system introduces a new defensive layer between ground-based sensors and high-end missile defense systems, reducing reliance on costly kinetic defenses while extending protection coverage across vast and remote areas. This capability is particularly relevant for distributed energy infrastructure including refineries, pipelines and offshore production platforms.
Matt Milas, president, Defense and Space, Honeywell Aerospace, said "SAMURAI delivers critical counter-UAS capabilities with proven reliability, scalability and seamless integration into existing defense architectures. By leveraging Honeywell’s long history in avionics, sensors and defense systems, we are enabling C-UAS capabilities that protect farther, respond faster and operate with minimal downtime."
James Dorris, CEO of Odys Aviation, said "Drone threats have fundamentally changed the economics and operational requirements of air defense. Critical infrastructure and forward-operating locations require persistent protection across large areas and the ability to engage threats at the horizon long before they're at the doorstep. By combining Honeywell’s SAMURAI system with the endurance, runway independence and onboard power capability of Laila, we're introducing a new airborne defense layer designed for today and into the future."
Laila long range hybrid-electric vertical take-off and landing tactical drone
Laila will serve as the first airborne application of the Honeywell SAMURAI system, and its hybrid propulsion system – compatible with Jet A, Jet A-1, and JP-8 fuels – produces enough power to stay in flight for up to eight hours across a 450-mile range. Laila eliminates the need for dedicated charging infrastructure, enabling rapid deployment in remote, expeditionary and offshore environments.
Built using model-based systems engineering, SAMURAI provides a turnkey, modular solution that incorporates diverse customer-selected sensors and effectors. The system is compliant with Modular Open Systems Approach standards, supporting interoperability, lifecycle visibility and long-term sustainment.
About Honeywell Aerospace : Products and services from Honeywell Aerospace Technologies (NASDAQ: HON) are found on virtually every commercial, defense and space aircraft, and in many terrestrial systems. The Aerospace Technologies business unit builds aircraft engines, cockpit and cabin electronics, wireless connectivity, thermal, power and actuation systems, and more. Its hardware and software solutions create more fuel-efficient aircraft, more direct and on-time flights and safer skies and airports. For more information, visit aerospace.honeywell.com or follow Honeywell Aerospace Technologies on LinkedIn.
Honeywell is an integrated operating company serving a broad range of industries and geographies around the world, with a portfolio that is underpinned by our Honeywell Accelerator operating system and Honeywell Forge platform. As a trusted partner, we help organizations solve the world's toughest, most complex challenges, providing actionable solutions and innovations for aerospace, building automation, industrial automation, process automation, and process technology, that help make the world smarter and safer as well as more secure and sustainable.
About Odys Aviation : Odys Aviation designs, develops and manufactures long-range, technologically advanced dual-use VTOL aircraft that solve global challenges across defense, logistics, and passenger travel. The company is pioneering the next generation of VTOL aircraft which use hybrid-electric propulsion systems to deliver the optimal balance between range and payload.
Based in Long Beach, CA, Odys Aviation was launched in 2021 and is led by seasoned engineers and strategists from SpaceX, Airbus, Tesla and the U.S. Department of Defense. The company has $11B+ in signed LOIs to date.
See also |
Honeywell Odys Aviation State of California 
Helicopters UAV & Drones 
