Honeywell Aerospace has leveraged a lifetime of military experience to transform drone defense with its Honeywell Counter Unmanned Aerial System (C-UAS), led by Norm Balchunas.
Growing up in a family steeped in military service, Balchunas pursued his dream of flying, eventually serving as a navigator and aviator on the B-52 bomber. His time in uniform instilled a deep understanding of sustaining legacy platforms while integrating new technologies, a perspective that now informs his leadership in defense innovation.
After retiring, Balchunas transitioned into electronic warfare and cybersecurity leadership roles, ultimately joining Honeywell to spearhead strategic campaigns in emerging defense technologies. Drawing on decades of operational expertise and relationships across the defense community, he guided the rapid development of Honeywell’s first fully integrated Counter-Unmanned Aerial System. Designed to detect, track, and neutralize unmanned aerial threats, the modular, software-defined system can be deployed on vehicles, fixed installations, naval vessels, or drones, combining radar, electro-optics, acoustic sensors, cyber tools, and drone-kill-drone capabilities.
Beyond military applications, Honeywell C-UAS is poised to protect civilian infrastructure, from airports to stadiums, demonstrating the system’s adaptability and broad relevance. For Balchunas, the project embodies a lifelong mission: protecting people through innovation. By blending Honeywell’s hardware legacy with agile software and digital engineering, he is shaping a new era of defense, fast, flexible, and mission-driven.
