Blackwater founder Erik Prince has launched a new venture in the air defense sector. His company, Vectus Air Defense Systems, is offering customers an unusual model — effectively an «air defense subscription,» Axios reports.

Instead of simply selling individual air defense systems, Vectus plans to provide protection against aerial threats as an ongoing service. The company is essentially bringing a business model widely used in the software industry into the defense sector, where customers pay for continuous access to a service rather than simply purchasing a product.

Vectus was established with the support of Ukrainian drone software startup Swarmer. Prince himself has also been linked to the production of drones for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The Blackwater founder says the new business model is driven by the rapidly evolving nature of aerial threats. In his assessment, demand for solutions provided by the private sector is growing rapidly, creating a potentially large market for such services.

In effect, Vectus wants to turn air defense into a commercial service: customers would pay for protection against aerial threats under a model resembling a software subscription — except that instead of a digital product, the service provides air defense.