Avigation AS has officially joined NORDSEC Nordic Defence and Security Cluster, marking a strategic step to position the company within the Nordic and European defence and security ecosystem. The membership reflects a clear ambition to develop and deploy its technology in a Nordic and Norwegian context, alongside relevant partners and within arenas where solutions can be applied to real-world operational needs.
Avigation enters the cluster following several years of rigorous research and development, led by a team with a world-class engineering and operational pedigree. The core team brings together expertise from industry leaders and pioneers, including former Hyperloop, Tesla, and NASA engineers, complemented by the tactical insights of fighter pilots. This unique convergence of computational fluid dynamics and high-stakes operational experience has driven the transition from basic science to a validated physical architecture, the Avigation Aerodyne Architecture (A3).
Avigation enters NORDSEC with a complete reframing of how airflow and hydrodynamic flow are managed at the system level. Conventional propulsion treats viscosity as the enemy. Avigation treats it as the lever. Where existing architectures accept viscous losses as an unavoidable cost - paid for in efficiency, range, and acoustic signature - Avigation's Foundational Physics Layer reconfigures the system-level linkage between energy and fluid, turning what was loss into directed performance.
This "Viscosity Revolution" allows for precision-driven energy conversion where viscosity is no longer a constraint, but a leveraged design variable. Validated through high-fidelity, aerospace-grade data, the A3 platform has achieved a +32.6% increase in thrust output with the same energy input.
To the left Avigation inventor and founder, Benjamin Munkres (Ex-Hyperloop Director, Defence Tech, US Air Force), and to the right Avigation Technology Lead Christopher Dawson (ex-Tesla, US Navy, CEO Arcimoto) at Avigation’s US facilities in Oregon with a 50% prototype of the EIR UAV currently under flight testing.
Avigation is already translating its deep-tech A3 architecture into operational reality. The company has developed its own novel disruptive propulsion system, the "Compellor", currently under flight testing in a 50% scale prototype of its in-house developed drone platform, the EIR.
By utilising A3 as a General-Purpose Technology (GPT), Avigation is now building its UAVs as Aero-Amphibious Platforms that were previously considered physically or economically impossible. This development of Next-Generation MAVs (Multi-domain Autonomous Vehicles) features extended range and improved stability where efficiency gains translate directly into superior operational economics and Aero-Amphibious operations. Because the A3 architecture governs fluid interactions across all states of fluids, it enables performance in both aerial and maritime domains.
Avigation's technology has successfully moved beyond theoretical modeling and is currently at Technology Readiness Level 5 (TRL 5). The team is now actively moving toward TRL 6, transitioning from laboratory validation to the demonstration of functional prototypes in an operational environment and a full TRL 7 validation scheduled later this year.
For Avigation, joining NORDSEC is a deliberate move to ensure that its technology evolves in close alignment with Nordic and European defence sector requirements. “Becoming part of NORDSEC is a strategic step for us. It allows us to develop our technology in the right context, with the right partners, and in arenas where it can be applied to real defence and security challenges,” says Steinar Brenden, director of Avigation AS.
As Nordic and European defence ecosystems continue to evolve, collaboration across industry and research environments with our defence is becoming essential for accelerating innovation and ensuring operational relevance.
Avigation enters the cluster with a clear intention: to contribute actively, not just participate.
“We are joining the cluster to contribute concrete capability, expertise, and development capacity that is directly relevant to Nordic and European defence needs while actively supporting Ukraine. Our ambition is to be a technological resource for the cluster - helping strengthen the ecosystem’s ability to develop robust, autonomous, and future-oriented solutions tailored to Nordic conditions,” Brenden says.
“With a focus on autonomy, efficiency-driven propulsion, and dual-domain operations, Avigation’s technology aligns closely with emerging needs in defence logistics, situational awareness, and resilience,” says Claes Richard Olsen Dysthe, Co-Founder and Chairman of Avigation. "By establishing a robust industrial footprint in Spain alongside our Raufoss home, we are creating a bridge for advanced European aerospace collaboration. Our strong presence in the Mediterranean is a key pillar for our international growth and industrial scaling," he concludes.
By joining NORDSEC, Avigation becomes part of a growing network of companies and organisations working to advance defence and security capabilities in the Nordic region.
The membership provides a platform for collaboration, joint development, and access to new projects - while also enabling Avigation to contribute to strengthening the overall ecosystem.