US firm Althimis is taking the guesswork out of counter-drone readiness with Guardian, a platform designed to expose weak spots in air defenses before they can be exploited on the battlefield.
During a live field demonstration, Bundeswehr operators configured their defensive posture before launching simulated attack scenarios generated by Althimis’ AI Chaos Engine (A²CE).
Guardian then tracked each threat and assessed the response, determining whether it was intercepted early, neutralized after a delay, or went undetected.
According to the company, the platform provides a visual breakdown of defensive gaps, helping operators identify vulnerabilities and refine their counter-drone strategies before deployment.
The demonstration also marked Guardian’s first real-world evaluation, giving users an opportunity to assess its performance and operational limits.
“An adversary does not send the threat you trained for. Readiness is not confidence that your defenses hold. It is knowing precisely where they fail, before someone else finds the gap,” said Althimis CEO Oded Napchi.
“Putting the Guardian in front of soldiers and letting them try to break it is the most honest debut we could ask for.”
More Testing Ahead
The demonstration took place during the Bundeswehr Cyber Innovation Hub (CIHBw) Startup Demo Day this month at the Storkow (Mark) military training area in Germany
The event brought together selected cyber and information technology companies to showcase market-ready capabilities for the Bundeswehr.
Following its debut, Guardian will undergo further evaluations in the coming months.
“Seeing Guardian run live, in front of the very people who would use it, was a proud moment for our team,” the company stated.
“Thank you to the CIHBw team for creating an environment where technology is judged by the people who carry the consequences. That is the most honest test there is.”
