Dutch DefenseTech startup Destinus adds €50 million bank financing as total capital raised approaches €400 million | EU-Startups

Destinus, a Katwijk-based aerospace and defense company, has secured a €50 million financing facility from Commerzbank, marking the company’s first commercial bank facility and supporting the next phase of its industrial expansion across Europe.

The Commerzbank facility complements €140 million in recently completed convertible instruments and shareholder loans, following the company’s earlier equity financing. Together, these new financings build on more than €200 million in previously raised equity, bringing Destinus’ total capital raised to nearly €400 million to date.

“Securing this facility is an important milestone for Destinus and a strong signal of confidence in Europe’s ability to build high-performance autonomous flight systems at scale. It reinforces our production roadmap and accelerates the industrialisation of our platforms for European and allied customers,” said Mikhail Kokorich, founder and CEO of Destinus.

2025 has seen a steady flow of funding into European defence, UAV and autonomous systems startups, mostly at an early or growth-stage scale.

Warsaw-based Orbotix raised €6.5 million to advance AI-powered autonomous defence systems, while Paris-based Rift secured €4.6 million to develop an on-demand aerial reconnaissance network built on autonomous VTOL drones. In the UAV manufacturing segment, Monopulse (MNP Technologijos) received €1.12 million to expand NATO-grade drone production capacity, reflecting demand for deployable, interoperable systems. On the software and infrastructure side, SalesPatriot raised €4.2 million to modernise defence and aerospace procurement workflows, highlighting investment interest beyond hardware alone.

Taken together, these rounds represent just over €16 million of disclosed funding in adjacent defence and autonomy segments in 2025, underscoring that most activity remains concentrated in relatively modest financings.

Against this backdrop, Destinus’ €50 million bank facility and nearly €400 million in total capital raised position it at the industrial, large-scale end of the European defense technology spectrum, contrasting with the predominantly early-stage funding profile of its sector peers.

“We appreciate the trust placed in us by our lenders and investors, and we value the advisory support provided by Rothschild & Co and CLEAR across our financing activities throughout the year,” adds Kokorich.

Founded in 2021, Destinus is a defense industrial company developing and manufacturing a new generation of AI-enabled autonomous systems, including one-way effectors, cruise missiles, and anti-drone interceptors, for national and allied defense.

With 750 engineers and specialists across Europe, the company combines AI-driven engineering, vertical integration, and large-scale production to design and manufacture autonomous systems and effectors at an industrial scale.

The new capital will accelerate the expansion of Destinus’ production lines, integration facilities, and testing infrastructure, enabling the company to supply scalable, cost-efficient autonomous systems that reinforce European defense readiness and strengthen sovereign industrial capacity across allied nations.

The company beleives that Commerzbank’s participation reflects growing institutional confidence in their ability to deliver defense capabilities at meaningful industrial volumes and to contribute to Europe’s long-term defense industrial resilience.

Building on strategic steps taken earlier this year to strengthen its Dutch presence and expand UAV capabilities, Destinus continues to scale its European operations in line with its mission to develop autonomous flight systems at industrial scale.

Destinus was also included in last year’s round-up Driving evolution: 10 European startups transforming mobility.