Quadsat
From Drone Innovation to Production-Ready Technology
When a new drone sensor needs to move from algorithm to production, the vision itself is rarely the biggest challenge. More often, the challenge lies in making technology robust, scalable, and ready for production. This is where Prevas has built strong expertise. Prevas helped Quadsat develop a robust hardware platform for the company’s advanced electronic warfare solution.
The Expertise Behind Production-Ready Drone Technology
Drones are playing an increasingly important role in defense and security. But behind the impressive flight capabilities and advanced sensor payloads lies a less visible task: making the technology production-ready, scalable and serviceable. That is exactly what Prevas Denmark specializes in.
“We do not invent new drone control systems, but we can help realize them when someone has designed a new algorithm or a new wing. We do the part that others may find less exciting – and in reality, that is often what determines whether a product succeeds,” says Mads Doré Hansen, Embedded Development Advisor at Prevas Denmark.
Hardware, Software and Security Working Together
Prevas handles assignments ranging from small analogue circuits to advanced gigahertz computer boards. In the Nordic region, the company also has the largest independent department for embedded Linux development – a foundation that is becoming increasingly relevant in the drone industry, where software, security and hardware must work together with precision.
“We are good at developing electronics that are easy to manufacture – and we are good at being stable. Our partnerships are long-term, and we make sure the solutions work from the start,” says Mads Doré Hansen.
That is a quality of significant importance in the defense industry, where requirements for documentation and operational reliability leave no room for compromise. Prevas continuously works on adapting and maintaining Linux on hardware that has not previously run the operating system – while also handling the security aspects that come with it.
Quadsat: From satcom to electronic warfare
One collaboration that illustrates Prevas’ role is its partnership with Quadsat – a Danish company that has developed drone-based sensor payloads since 2017. What began as a satcom project has today primarily become a defense product.
“We realized that the technology we had developed for satcom could be used to create something unique for the defense market. We have a system that weighs less than three kilos and can be operated using very small drones,” says Klaus Aude, CCO at Quadsat.
The system detects signals from radars and jammers and can geolocate targets up to 200 kilometres away from a drone flying at an altitude of 1,500 metres. The product is in active use in Ukraine and is used in collaboration with major defense players around the world. Today, defense accounts for 90 percent of Quadsat’s business.
“Prevas has helped us with hardware development and software review. It is a clear advantage when you can draw on each other’s expertise – it has made our day-to-day work more flexible,” says Klaus Aude.
From Advanced Prototype to Robust Hardware Platform
To support Quadsat’s continued development, Prevas developed a new carrier board for the NVIDIA Jetson System-on-Module. The solution improved hardware quality and created better conditions for efficient production at higher volumes.
The collaboration brought together complementary expertise. Quadsat contributed its knowledge of RF intelligence and Electronic Warfare, while Prevas contributed industrial hardware development and technical expertise. The result is a robust hardware platform designed for production and operation in demanding environments, delivered on time and within budget.
When the global drone industry was gathered at the International Drone Show at Hans Christian Andersen Airport in Odense, Denmark. Both Prevas and Quadsat were present with their own stands, ready to demonstrate what it takes to bring drone technology all the way from ideas to operational reality.