BUILT IN
DENMARK
Nordhal Defence is a Danish company building low-cost underwater vehicles that clear sea mines. We are based in Sønderborg, on the Baltic coast.
Nordhal Defence ApS was founded in May 2026 and is based at SDU Startup Station, on the University of Southern Denmark campus in Sønderborg. We are independent and privately owned. We design, build and test the drone, its electronics, the fibre spool and the operator software in-house, using off-the-shelf parts wherever they do the job.
A sea mine can cost less than a used car. Clearing it ties up warships, divers and whole shipping lanes for months. We think the last step, confirming a mine and destroying it, can be done by a small, low-cost drone built in numbers.
That drone is the U-1A Legion. It is launched by one person from a small boat or an uncrewed vessel, steered over a fibre-optic cable, and destroyed together with the mine it was sent to. Because each one is low-cost, a single operator can send several at once instead of dealing with mines one after another.
We do not try to find mines. Navies and their suppliers already have ships, sonars and survey drones for that. We build the part that comes after: when you know where the mines are and need them gone quickly.
Our
principles.
What guides how we design, build and talk about the U-1A Legion.
Test early, in water
Prototype v1 went from first sketch to a full dive in three and a half months. We would rather find problems in the pool than on paper.
Off-the-shelf where it works
We use commercial parts and modern manufacturing wherever they meet the requirement, and design our own only where nothing on the market is good enough. That keeps the cost down without lowering the standard.
Clear about what is proven
Our figures are design targets until testing proves them, and we always say which is which.
Where we are.
Where we're going.
From a registered company to drones in the water in one summer. Next: a near-final prototype, then trials with partners.
Company founded
Nordhal Defence ApS registered in Sønderborg, Denmark.
DonePrototype v1 in the water
Designed from scratch, 3D printed and assembled. First full dive with no leaks.
DonePrototype v1 testing
Fibre payout, thrusters, camera and sonar tested in the pool.
In progressPrototype v2
Built close to the final design. The version partners get to see.
PlannedPartner trials
Live demonstrations with system integrators and navies.
PlannedFirst deliveries
First contract, then production aimed at 100+ drones a month.
PlannedAffiliations
The programmes, networks and industry bodies we are part of, and the funds that back us.
Contact us.
Navies, system integrators, investors and engineers who want to build this with us.