The joint venture ONBERG Autonomous Systems, based in the city of Brandenburg an der Havel, was founded by HD Advanced Technologies GmbH, a subsidiary of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, and the US-Israeli company Ondas Autonomous Systems. ONBERG develops and integrates autonomous counter-UAS systems for critical infrastructure and security-related operational environments. The company combines detection, situational awareness and autonomous systems to form integrated solutions produced from a single source, creating comprehensive system architectures for civil and government applications.

Threats from unmanned systems are increasing – as the Leipzig Airport incident in August 2026 has shown – and as a result, there is a greater demand for high-performance and scalable security systems. By setting up its location in Brandenburg an der Havel, ONBERG is combining internationally proven technologies with German industry and production expertise. The aim is to scale cutting-edge security solutions industrially and make them available for the European market. In this way, the company is helping to protect critical infrastructure, make the economy and society more secure and safeguard Europe’s technological sovereignty in a strategically important future market.

The Schönewalde/Holzdorf location in Brandenburg is one of the most important German Armed Forces bases in eastern Germany. It is home to Air Force units and plays a key role in airspace surveillance, air defence and military air transport in Germany and Europe.

The site will be extensively expanded in the coming years and is set to be the main base for the new Boeing CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift transport helicopters. These helicopters are able to transport large amounts of material, vehicles and personnel, and they are an important component in modern military logistics. To accommodate this change, the infrastructure, maintenance facilities and training capacity at the location will be significantly increased.

With the new Chinook helicopters, the German Armed Forces will have significantly enhanced capabilities for transport, supply and support missions. The Holzdorf location will thus become a central hub for Germany’s air mobility and strengthen its operational and alliance capacities within NATO.

Furthermore, the location is home to one of Germany’s two airspace surveillance systems, which form part of the integrated NATO air defence.

With its mobile component, the unit can also provide airspace surveillance and manage air forces in the entire NATO territory, and where necessary elsewhere, and support other NATO partners, such as the Baltic states, in this important task.

Some parts of the national air defence are also stationed at the Schönewalde/Holzdorf location, where they protect large areas of Germany from potential air strikes.

This means that the unit is also making an important contribution to the security of the region and other parts of German territory.