Following its Blue Magic Netherlands (BMN) event in November, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) will invest in two innovative Dutch companies, Emergent Swarm Solutions and Saluqi Motors.
BMN, a collaborative innovation and investment conference hosted in the Netherlands, brought together GA-ASI and several Dutch organizations to explore advancements in defense technologies. The event was jointly organized by GA-ASI, the Dutch Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Brainport Development in Eindhoven, and the Brabant Development Agency (BOM).
The conference centered on strategic technology areas including Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, autonomous systems, advanced sensor technologies, new materials, manufacturing innovations, and space applications. Nearly 50 companies applied to participate; after a rigorous review process, 16 were selected to pitch their capabilities.
GA-ASI chose to move forward with Emergent Swarm Solutions and Saluqi Motors based on their compelling pitches and follow-up discussions that demonstrated strong alignment with GA-ASI’s strategic objectives.
Emergent Swarm Solutions specializes in software for autonomous flight and intelligent, decentralized swarming capabilities for a range of unmanned vehicles. GA-ASI is partnering with Emergent to develop critical autonomy technologies for its current and future aircraft portfolio.
Saluqi Motors develops high-density motors with integrated electronics that significantly enhance power and torque in compact designs, particularly well-suited for airborne platforms. GA-ASI is working with Saluqi to qualify existing products for aerospace use and to co-develop new solutions tailored to specific applications.
GA-ASI hosted its first Blue Magic event in 2019 in Belgium, with subsequent events held in 2020, 2021, and 2023. GA-ASI is currently delivering eight MQ-9A aircraft to the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF).
Brad Lunn, Managing Director for GA-ASI, stated, “The technologies presented by Emergent and Saluqi really stood out to us, and we’re proud to be working with them. I expect several other companies from the Blue Magic Netherlands event to emerge and we hope to make additional announcements in the near future.
“GA-ASI is committed to continue working with the Dutch government and Dutch industry in supporting the growth of technology innovation in the Netherlands. GA-ASI anticipates holding additional BMN events in the near future.”
Lennart Bult, Co-founder and Managing Director at Emergent Swarm Solutions, added, “It is a pleasure to partner with General Atomics to develop and deploy our autonomy and swarming capabilities on the current and next generation of unmanned aircraft. Collaborating with the General Atomics team has been a fantastic experience, and we look forward to delivering advanced capabilities through this partnership.”
Matthijs de Haan, CEO at Saluqi Motors, also said, “We are deeply honored to be selected by GA-ASI from such a strong field of innovative companies. Our ultra-compact and high-performance motors are engineered to meet the demanding requirements of aerospace applications. This collaboration enables us to further validate our technology and develop new solutions for the defense and aerospace industries.”
