Finnish defence technology company Sensofusion Oy is expanding its operations from the ground to the air and into Earth orbit. As of today, the company's aviation and space business will operate under the name Sensofusion Aerospace. The unit's ongoing product development projects are the Sensofusion Swift surveillance aircraft and the company's first two satellite missions, Fennec-1 and Fennec-2.

Sensofusion Swift is a type-certified general aviation aircraft with integrated signals intelligence capability, radar and other advanced sensors. Unlike unmanned systems, Swift can operate in peacetime airspace near airports and population centres without separate exemptions.

Sensofusion Swift is both an aircraft and a drone. It can be procured and operated either as a crewed general aviation aircraft or as an unmanned system. This gives procurement organisations flexibility in terms of both budget and regulation: the aircraft can be procured under either aircraft or drone procurement programmes, giving customers flexibility in budgeting, while the same platform can be operated either by a human pilot or on autopilot, depending on the regulations of the target country.

The aircraft is based on the Atol Aurora aircraft. Sensofusion acquired the Finnish aircraft manufacturer Atol Aviation in spring 2026. New Swift aircraft are manufactured at Halli Airport, a former Finnish Air Force base, and fitted with the Airfence counter-drone system. An airborne sensor typically has three to five times the range of a ground-based sensor. The aircraft will also be fitted with radar and interceptor-drone capability.

The company's next target is Earth orbit. Fennec-1 is the company's first satellite. With it, the company intends to demonstrate its capability to detect weak terrestrial signals from space. Fennec-2 expands the payload and moves to Sensofusion's new satellite platform, serving as the first step towards a larger constellation. The first satellite will be launched into orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon rocket in autumn 2027.

"The Earth is a sphere, so signal monitoring works better the higher we operate. That is why our monitoring capability is now moving from the ground to the air, and will soon continue into orbit," says Sensofusion founder and CEO Tuomas Rasila.