Robin Radar, the Dutch counter-drone radar company, has cut the ribbon on its larger US headquarters in Sterling, Virginia. This grand opening marks the next step in a growth trajectory that began with bird detection systems in 2010 and now spans global defense and civil security markets. CEO Siete Hamminga discussed the expansion, the company’s dual-use strategy, and lessons learned from the Ukraine conflict in an interview timed to the new facility’s launch.
From Bird Radars to Drone Detection
Hamminga describes himself as a serial high-tech entrepreneur who has started multiple companies, some more successful than others. “In most cases I was 10 to 15 years too early with inventions, but you only need to be right once,” he quipped.
That mindset led him to found Robin Radar in 2010, originally as a bird radar company. A few years in, he recognized that drone technology carried enormous potential and equally significant risk. “There’s always a dark side to those cool technologies and I wanted to prepare society for that,” Hamminga said. That realization prompted the company to pivot toward purpose-built drone radar systems, which eventually defined the business.
Robin Radar’s systems are designed to detect small drones, including the consumer quadcopters available at any electronics retailer. That focus proved prescient as small unmanned aircraft have increasingly become tools of mischief and modern warfare.
Growing US Presence From Sales Office to Full Headquarters
Robin Radar’s expansion in America traces back to testing conducted with the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Office, which placed early orders after being impressed by the system’s performance. That interest convinced Hamminga the company needed a permanent American presence. Robin Radar opened its first US office in 2024, primarily as a sales and promotion outpost.
As demand grew, the company determined it needed local demo capacity and technical support staff, which drove the decision to open this larger headquarters in Sterling, Virginia. The location sits between Washington Dulles International Airport and Washington, DC, in a corridor dense with other defense contractors. Hamminga said the site also makes travel easier for Dutch staff and minimizes time-zone friction. “It’s a great place to land, but it’s also early, the beginning. I think we’ll expand further and further,” he said.
The new facility will start with roughly 20 employees focused on technical support and sales, according to Hamminga, with a roadmap to grow local presence over time. Manufacturing is not part of the current plan, but Hamminga said that could change if regional demand justifies it. “We believe in a local-for-local strategy where we produce in Europe for Europe, in North America for North America, maybe in India for India,” he said.
A Dual-Use Company Built Differently
Hamminga explained that today’s security environment demands a fundamentally different kind of defense company, and Robin Radar has answered the call. “There is a real sense of urgency in Europe. Basically we’re preparing for war,” he said.
Drones, he explained, have introduced an economic dimension to conflict because relatively inexpensive systems can knock out high-value military assets, forcing defenders to deploy countermeasures that cost far more than the threats they neutralize. Innovation cycles have also quickened. Traditional defense contractors, Hamminga said, typically run innovation cycles of five to seven years, often lock in fixed pricing, and resist integrating with outside systems.
The market needs adaptive, hybrid companies that serve both civilian and military customers. “We need to embrace that change and accept it and make sure that we become very adaptive to change,” he said. Robin Radar positions itself as an example of that new model, building systems designed for easy integration in both commercial and defense markets, and cultivating a culture willing to collaborate even with competitors.
Ukraine Conflict Reshaped Product Development
The war in Ukraine became a turning point for Robin Radar’s growth and its product roadmap. Large orders from Ukrainian forces put the company in direct contact with battlefield users. “Over the weekend, we were in signal groups with brigades getting feedback, and it doesn’t get more real than that,” Hamminga said. That feedback loop forced the company to compress its innovation cycles dramatically.
One concrete result involved detecting larger drones. Robin Radar’s systems were originally built to spot small consumer-style drones, but Ukrainian operators faced a different threat in Shahed-type drones measuring roughly two and a half by three meters. The company developed a long-range detection mode and remotely upgraded 183 radars already in the field with the new software. “That was well received by the Ukrainians and made us really proud,” Hamminga said.
A second challenge came from the vulnerability of active radar systems themselves. Because radar transmits signals to generate a return echo, it can be detected and targeted on the battlefield. Ukrainian units began mounting radars on pickup trucks to relocate them frequently, but they wanted the ability to operate while actually moving. Hamminga said his engineering team initially insisted that was not feasible because a moving platform shifts the entire detection horizon. “Nevertheless, within no time, we had developed a new software with some hardware components that now allows them to operate the radar on the move,” he said, adding that the system now functions at speeds up to 100 kilometers per hour.
That mobile capability extends beyond frontline defense to convoy protection and law enforcement applications. The company is now working on a radar variant designed to keep functioning in GNSS-denied environments, a response to electronic warfare tactics that jam satellite navigation signals.
Company Culture as Competitive Advantage
Beyond technical capability, Hamminga credits company culture as central to Robin Radar’s success. He has been meeting one-on-one with members of the Sterling team throughout the week surrounding the headquarters launch. “I’m super impressed by how that team feels like a family, and how we are considered to be a great place to work for the past six years,” he said. He invoked a familiar management maxim to summarize his philosophy. “There’s this expression that says ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast,’ and I totally agree,” Hamminga said.
A Society-Wide Problem, Not Just a Military One
Hamminga emphasized that counter-drone demand does not begin and end with armed conflict. He pointed to Robin Radar’s partnership with Thales, one of the world’s largest radar manufacturers, which purchased Robin Radar systems to help secure the Olympic Games. That deal illustrates a pattern he sees repeating globally: conflict zones expose a threat, defense forces worldwide take notice, and governments begin investing in their own counter-drone capabilities.
But Hamminga insists the underlying problem extends beyond defense budgets. “This drone threat is a society problem,” he said, pointing to prisons, harbors, borders, nuclear power plants, and oil and gas infrastructure as targets that need protection regardless of whether a nearby war is underway.
As Robin Radar’s Sterling headquarters comes online, that broader mission, protecting critical infrastructure alongside military assets, will shape the next phase of the company’s growth in North America.