Policy

The Defense Side of the US-EU Trade Deal

As you may have heard, the EU and US have struck a trade deal—sort of.  In case you missed it, in Scotland earlier this week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President Trump announced a trade agreement reshaping the $2T transatlantic trade relationship, including a blanket 15% tariff on all European goods imported […]

Tech

Northrop’s Beacon Brings Startups Into the Cockpit

You know what they say: if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Yesterday, Northrop Grumman announced the first six startups that will join its “Beacon Project” to “rapidly test and deliver new autonomous solutions at scale.”  Seems the big time prime might be realizing what we’ve been waxing lyrical about for ages: Especially when it […]

Investment

Reveal Raises $30M Series B 

And now for the big reveal: On Tuesday, defense mapping startup Reveal Technology announced a $30M Series B led by Ballistic Ventures with participation from Booz Allen Ventures, Shield Capital, and others. That’s a big—and speedy-quick—jump from its $11.2M Series A last December.  Founded in 2018, Reveal grew out of its co-founders’ firsthand combat experience […]

PentagonTech

Auterion Sending Ukraine 33,000 Drone “Strike Kits”

If you’re getting tired of reading about drones, you’re in the wrong place—because business is booming. Just look at Auterion: The autonomy software firm said Monday it will send 33,000 AI-powered drone guidance “strike kits” to Ukraine by year’s end under a new $50M Pentagon contract. While this isn’t Auterion’s first rodeo in Ukraine, it’s […]

Pentagon

DIU Names C-sUAS Low-Cost Sensing Challenge Finalists 

Everyone loves a good competition.  Last week, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) announced the ten finalists for its Low-Cost Sensing (LCS) challenge—a Replicator 2 initiative aimed at fielding cheap, scalable sensors to detect small drones. The finalists are set to go head-to-head at USNORTHCOM’s Falcon Peak exercise in September for a share of the prize […]

Pentagon

The Pentagon Hits the Software Supply Chain Panic Button

It should not bear repeating that cybersecurity is national security, but after a string of China-linked breaches, the Pentagon has gone on high alert to safeguard its software supply chain from foreign influence.  The past 10 days have been cyber hell for the Pentagon: It’s been the kind of week that underscores why the ODNI […]

Tech

UK and Germany Fast-Track Military Modernization

If you thought the US was the only one in NATO speedrunning defense reforms, think again.  This week, the UK and Germany both introduced programs to fast-track military modernization. On the UK side, the Brits showcased their new digital targeting system called ASGARD, while the German parliament passed the “Bundeswehrbeschaffungsbeschleunigungsgesetz” to accelerate weapons procurement. Yes, […]

Tech

Picogrid and Alta Ares Team Up on Air Defense

If you know anything about drones, you know that there are a whole lot of them and a whole lot of companies making them.  Integration startup Picogrid knows this better than anyone. The El Segundo-based company builds products that make these drones—and all of the other tech and software on the battlefield—work together. Like glue, […]

Investment

Booz Allen Boosts Venture Funding

At a time when all of the big money movers are getting into defense tech, it’s only right for the OG to double down. On Monday, Booz Allen Hamilton, the century-old defense and intelligence consulting giant, announced a $200M boost to its venture arm, raising its total capital commitment to $300M.  Rise of the primes: […]

Policy

CSIS Wants Air Defense to Get Passive-Aggressive

Between Iron Dome and Golden Dome headlines, debates over the E-7 Wedgetail AEW&C and space-based ISR, and calls to send more Patriots to Ukraine, air and missile defense (AMD) is the talk of the town.  But despite all this talk, US AMD is still pretty crap for a few key reasons: We still rely on […]