Clearance by Hologarde: Company Profile
Hologarde, an ADP-backed UTM and counter-drone specialist, has secured France's ANSP market with 80,000+ flight approvals but faces international expansion challenges.
- 80,000+ Drone flight approvals processed since 2017 Unmanned Airspace, May 2026
- 100% DSNA-managed airfields and airports in France covered by Clearance Unmanned Airspace, May 2026
- 20/20 Score awarded by DSNA in drone mission entry software procurement evaluation Self-reported via LinkedIn; not independently corroborated
- HQ
- France
- Employees
- 11–50
- Segments
- Infrastructure
- Products
- Clearance·HoloSafe·Proprietary Cameras
- Competitors
- Frequentis·Thales·Unifly
Clearance by Hologarde: ADP-Backed UTM and C-UAS Specialist Locks Up French ANSP Market, Eyes International Airports
A Groupe ADP subsidiary operating at the intersection of UTM software and counter-drone systems, Hologarde has secured a structurally significant position within France's regulated airspace ecosystem — processing over 80,000 drone flight approvals since 2017 and deploying C-UAS protection at Paris airports through the 2024 Olympic Games. The company's investment case rests on institutional parentage and demonstrated ANSP integration, but remains constrained by a small headcount, opaque financials, and an international expansion strategy that is still aspirational.
Business Overview
Hologarde operates as a Groupe ADP company — the operator of Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Orly, and Le Bourget — giving it direct operational access to some of Europe's highest-traffic airport environments. This affiliation functions as both a distribution channel and a reference customer, compressing the sales cycle that typically stalls early-stage airspace technology vendors.
Hologarde's advantage is depth of ANSP integration in France, not breadth of geographic reach.
The company's commercial footprint spans three verticals: airport security and airspace management (its core), critical infrastructure (supporting RTE, the French national grid operator), and healthcare logistics (via a partnership with Delivrone for hospital-grade drone delivery). This diversification reduces single-sector dependency, though airports remain the dominant revenue driver by all available indicators.
Headcount is estimated at 11–50 employees. No public financial data — revenue, margins, or funding rounds — has been disclosed. Financial sustainability cannot be independently assessed. MODERATE CONFIDENCE on operational status; LOW CONFIDENCE on financial health.
Technology
Hologarde's product architecture combines two fielded software platforms with proprietary sensor hardware:
| Product | Category | Status | Primary Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clearance | UTM Software | Fielded | Drone mission planning, flight authorization, ANSP integration |
| HoloSafe | C-UAS C2 Software | Fielded | Multi-sensor fusion, consolidated air picture, airport protection |
| Proprietary Cameras | Sensor Hardware | Fielded | Counter-UAV detection, FOD detection, perimeter monitoring |
| UAM/Vertiport Integration | UTM Extension | Development | Urban Air Mobility, EU U-space compliance |
Clearance handles drone mission planning, flight plan authorization, regulatory compliance, and low-altitude airspace management. Its iOS and Android applications — recently redesigned — provide field telepilots with mission display, constraint access, direct authority messaging, and in-flight tracking. France's air navigation service provider (DSNA) reportedly awarded Clearance a maximum score of 20/20 in a drone mission entry software procurement evaluation; this claim originates from Hologarde's own LinkedIn channel and has not been independently corroborated. LOW CONFIDENCE on the specific score; HIGH CONFIDENCE that a DSNA procurement engagement occurred, given the confirmed deployment across all DSNA-managed airfields.
HoloSafe provides counter-UAS command-and-control via multi-sensor data fusion, delivering a consolidated air picture for security operators. It has been operational at Groupe ADP airports since the 2024 Olympic Games period, including perimeter and fence monitoring. The roadmap targets expanded sensor modalities — RF, radar, EO/IR — and eventual integration with Clearance to produce a unified air picture covering both cooperative and non-cooperative drone tracks.
The dual UTM-plus-C-UAS architecture is a genuine differentiator at the airport segment level, where operators require both flight authorization workflows and threat detection within the same operational picture.
Market Position
Hologarde's most significant recent development is the confirmed deployment of Clearance across 100% of DSNA-managed airfields and airports in France, with over 80,000 flight approvals processed since 2017. This represents effective lock-in within the French ANSP ecosystem — a position that larger competitors including Frequentis, Thales, and Unifly would need to displace through a formal re-procurement process.
The EU U-space regulatory framework, which mandates UTM services across European airports, creates structural demand that favors established ANSP integrations. Hologarde's DSNA relationship positions it ahead of the regulatory curve domestically. However, international expansion remains undocumented — no confirmed deployments outside France appear in available sources.
Competitive displacement risk is real. Frequentis and Thales carry broader certification portfolios, greater capital resources, and established international airport relationships. Unifly has demonstrated multi-country UTM deployments across Europe. Against these players, Hologarde's advantage is depth of ANSP integration in France, not breadth of geographic reach.
Outlook
Three catalysts would materially strengthen Hologarde's investment case: a formal DSNA framework agreement or DGAC public endorsement (independently validating the claimed evaluation score), a first confirmed international airport deployment, and a disclosed funding round or ADP capital injection providing financial transparency.
The UAM and vertiport roadmap aligns with EU regulatory timelines but carries execution risk for a sub-50-person organization. The Delivrone healthcare logistics partnership is an early signal of beyond-airport applicability, though no operational metrics have been published.
Hologarde is a credible domestic specialist with a structurally defensible position in French airspace management. Upgrading that assessment requires independent validation of its DSNA claims, evidence of international scalability, and financial disclosure. Until then, it warrants monitoring — not deployment of capital.