Weibel Scientific signs largest order ever, solidifying its market dominance

May 15, 2025

Weibel Scientific signs largest order ever, solidifying its market dominance

Radar company Weibel Scientific has signed a historic order worth more than DKK 500 million. The order, placed by Norwegian Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, solidifies the company as one of the absolute leading in the world in the market for surveillance radars for short-range air defense and countering hostile drones. With this order, Weibel Scientific is well on its way to reaching a goal of a DKK 2.5 billion turnover by 2030.

May 15, 2025 – Drones smaller than a fist, short-range missiles, fighter jets, helicopters, and other airborne objects that can threaten civilization, defense, and NATO allies. These are exactly the threats that Weibel Scientific set out to create a defense against back in 2019. The goal was to develop and produce the world’s best surveillance radar for detection and classification, allowing NATO countries to effectively protect themselves against current and future threats.

Today, employees in Allerød, Denmark, are producing one of the best radars to solve this exact problem. The radar is called XENTA, and the demand for Weibel Scientific’s high-tech products has never been greater.

“This historic order is not only the largest in the history of our company, but also proof that we are well on our way to achieving our goal of becoming the global leader in radar systems for short-range air defense and protection against hostile drones. Our strategic partnership with Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace has developed over time and is growing stronger week by week. The cultures and cooperation between our two companies complement each other well, and our product solutions align perfectly. The demand for our radar solutions is high and rising sharply, and our ambition to be two to three times larger by 2030 is definitely within reach,” says Peter Røpke, CEO in Weibel Scientific.

Several XENTA Radars ‘in operation’

The radars from Allerød are delivered to Kongsberg and integrated into a mobile vehicle equipped with missiles. The Norwegian mobile air defense system is called NOMADS and is developed and produced for the Norwegian Army. NOMADS is the most modern and mobile solution for short-range air defense and drone protection (Counter-UAS). The XENTA radars are scheduled for delivery in 2026 and 2027.

Over the years, Weibel Scientific has delivered and installed several XENTA radars in Norway, at the Danish drone center at Hans Christian Andersen Airport, and in the international airports Charles de Gaulle and Le Bourget in Paris. In Paris, the radars secured the 2024 Olympics and today ensure the safety of all daily air traffic in and out of the airports. In 2025 and the years ahead, multiple radars will be delivered to new international customers and end users. Weibel Scientific is looking at a growing order pipeline in both the military and civilian segment.

“The worsening of the global security situation is creating enormous demand for our product solutions—ranging from the protection of civilian and public critical infrastructure to the protection of soldiers in warfare. For many years, we have tested and developed the radar at Weibel, and we’ve also participated in a significant number of international NATO military exercises. We know what the radar is capable of and have documented its performance, but we continue to improve the radar in every facet to ensure it stays adapted to the ever-changing threat landscape,” says Peter Røpke.

Finding the needle in a haystack

Spotting a drone smaller than a fist in the airspace is like finding a needle in a haystack. It is no simple task to develop a radar that can automatically and effectively distinguish drones from, for example, birds or wind turbines. It requires special algorithms, machine learning, and significant computing power to verify that the object is a drone. Weibel Scientific has succeeded in this, placing the XENTA radar in the global elite.

“It is a great joy to witness that the technology choices and risks taken by my sister’s and my father, Erik Tingleff Larsen, when he founded Weibel Scientific, still form the foundation and core of everything we create at Weibel. Our combination of Doppler and pulse radar technology creates a fundamental competitive advantage across all our customer segments—from radars for testing and qualifying defense systems, to the XENTA surveillance radar, and systems for ballistic missile defense and space activity monitoring. All of this is made possible by our nearly 500 employees, and we are incredibly proud of their dedication, unique skills, and accomplishments,” says Thomas Øiseth Munkholm, owner of Weibel Scientific.

The future holds increased investments, development, and new employees

To maintain and further strengthen the significant progress in the markets Weibel Scientific competes in, the company expects to significantly increase investments in the development and production of core technology to improve existing products and discover new product applications. Over the next five years, more than 200 new employees will need to be hired across the company to achieve growth ambitions and gain market share.

“Our successful formula for developing and producing radars in Denmark has been proven over nearly 50 years. The direction is clear, the DNA and culture are strongly rooted, our willingness to take risks remains, and we adapt to changes in both the market and the labor force. But now we are turning up the pace and the ambition, and we look forward to creating more jobs and welcoming new passionate employees so we can continue making a critical difference for civilization and for those who fight for our freedom,” continues Thomas Øiseth Munkholm.