The WELP Group, a specialist in converting specially protected and armored vehicles into small and micro-series, unveils a drone-defense protection vehicle based on the Toyota Land Cruiser 300. Together with partner H. P. Marketing & Consulting Wüst GmbH, the company presents the ‘Counter-UAS Platform’, a concept vehicle that combines protection against unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) with a highly effective ballistic and explosive protection concept.
The focus is clearly on developing a practical, mobile solution for current and future threat scenarios – particularly in the context of increasingly available and capable drone technology, according to the WELP Group. A key milestone in the system’s development was the successful testing within SeaSec in Rostock. This event of the German Navy was held from 13 to 24 April 2026 in collaboration with the Rostock Institute for Ocean Technology (RIOT) as well as the Seabed Security Experimentation Center (SeaSEC) in Rostock.
An important component was this year’s “Industry Challenge.” 47 companies from industry and research participated. Together with the Navy as well as partners from the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark, new approaches for the deployment of unmanned maritime systems were to be developed. For these systems to operate in a coordinated manner and to protect underwater effectively, a cross-branch, cross-national and cross-domain situational picture based on jointly usable data was required, according to the Navy during the event. Therefore, the focus in 2026 was on Data2Sea with topics such as interoperability, data fusion and situational-picture contribution.
Combination of Mobile Platform and Integrated Drone Defense
There, the platform was deployed under realistic conditions and evaluated by users from NATO member states. The results of these applications confirmed the high operational relevance as well as the technical performance of the system in an operational environment, according to WELP. In particular, the combination of a mobile platform and integrated drone defense has attracted great interest among international users. Moreover, the vehicle concept had already been presented to the professional public at Enforce Tac. The discussions held there and feedback from the market continuously feed into the further development of the system.
At the heart of the C-UAS platform is a fully integrated drone defense solution designed specifically for mobile deployment. In the SeaSEC context, the platform “Elysion C-UAS Mission Core” from Hensoldt formed the operational core from which the Drone Defence Vehicle was controlled. This is the C2 software as the central element of the C-UAS system. The software solution provides sensor data fusion as well as an intuitive situational picture with an integrated video feed.
The algorithms ensure a high degree of automation at the core, while the software and IT architecture ensure interoperability of multiple systems – for complex, large-scale missions as well as to obtain a central situational overview of widely dispersed forces in the operating area. The underlying system architecture is based on a continuous sensor-to-effector chain. Various sensors – including radar, RF detections and optical systems – detect potential threats early and feed the gathered data into a central situational picture.
WELP and Partners Aiming to Create a Holistic Solution
The employed effectors are modular and can be selected and adapted according to deployment requirements. A central component of the system is the integrated operator workstation. This is housed in a protected area inside the vehicle and provides the operator with an ergonomically optimized control environment. Through a monitor and a joystick-based control, the operator can control all drone-defense functions in real time. The operating logic is based on established systems from military and governmental environments.
Die Plattform erfüllt die Schutzklasse VPAM BRV Edition 3 VR7 und ist optional bis VR9 verfügbar. Damit bietet das Fahrzeug Schutz gegen verschiedenste ballistische Bedrohungen. Ergänzend dazu erfüllt es die Anforderungen nach VPAM ERV Edition 3 sowie STANAG 4569 und schützt somit auch vor Explosionseinwirkungen durch Landminen und Handgranaten. Die Counter-UAS Platform adressiert eine breite Palette von Anwendungsszenarien. Dazu zählen der Schutz kritischer Infrastrukturen, die Absicherung von Flughäfen und militärischen Einrichtungen, Grenzschutzmissionen sowie der Begleitschutz von Konvois.
Durch den modularen Aufbau können unterschiedliche Technologien integriert und an spezifische Kundenanforderungen angepasst werden. Zudem ist eine zukünftige Anbindung an übergeordnete Führungs- und Einsatzsysteme vorgesehen, wodurch sich das Fahrzeug nahtlos in bestehende Sicherheitsarchitekturen einfügen lässt. Mit der Counter-UAS Platform verfolgen die WELP Group und die H. P. Marketing & Consulting Wüst GmbH das Ziel, eine ganzheitliche Lösung für die Abwehr moderner Bedrohungen zu schaffen.
