Tech

Exclusive: Vermeer Launches Recovery for Lost Drones

You know what sucks? When you’ve got a drone on mission with no (or limited) comms and it gets lost with no satellite data to fall back again. Can be a pretty pricey—or at least deeply annoying—issue. Well, good news is, visual navigation startup Vermeer has come up with a solution. This morning, the company […]

EuropeInvestment

Quantum Systems Raises $1.2B Series D

Well, jeez. We thought Quantum Systems was already having quite the year—turns out we didn’t know the half of it.  This morning, the German autonomy giant announced that it’s raised a $1.2B Series D at a $8B valuation, co-led by Blackstone, Noteus, Airbus, and Advent.   The company says it will use the money to “accelerate […]

Investment

First Look: Cantos Raises $70M Fund IV

If there is one thing you take away from today’s newsletter, let it be this: Everyone and their mother is still pouring oodles (and then some more oodles) of money into defense. Yesterday, SF-based Cantos Ventures announced it closed a $70M Fund IV earlier this year, which Founder & GP Ian Rountree told Tectonic that […]

Tech

Vantor Unveils WorldView 3D

If you thought those super-precise 2D satellite images of—for example—bombed-out Iranian nuclear sites were cool, just wait ’til you hear what Vantor has in store for you today. This morning, the satellite imaging company (formerly known as Maxar Intelligence—but you should know that by now) released a new product line it’s calling WorldView 3D that […]

Investment

Dominion Dynamics Raises $139M CAD ($100M USD) Series A

The Canadians are really making some serious money moves in defense, eh? This morning, Canadian defense tech darling Dominion Dynamics announced that it’s raised a CA$139M (US$100M) Series A led by Georgian (Canada’s largest VC). Dominion founder and CEO Eliot Pence told Tectonic that the company will use the money to scale up production of […]

InvestmentTech

MAKO (née MicroTau) Raises $20M for Shark Skin Film

Is it just us, or is the stuff we’re covering (looking at you, haptic controllers) getting more and more niche? This morning, Australian aerospace tech company MAKO (formerly known as MicroTau) announced that it’s raised AU$28M (US$20M) to scale up production of its—wait for it—“drag-reducing shark skin-inspired adhesive film for aviation,” known as Flightfilm. The […]

EuropeTech

Vantor’s Big (European) Week

In case you haven’t been paying attention, Vantor has been having quite the week across the pond.  In the space of a week, the spatial intelligence company has announced a partnership with Rheinmetall to create “a European 3D information platform for spatial intelligence,” and teamed up with British prime BAE Systems to manufacture its 20 […]

Tech

Touchwaves Partners with GA for Haptic Drone Comms

Well, for all of you drone pilots out there sick of just using traditional controllers, boy, do we have some good news for you. This morning, Amsterdam-based startup Touchwaves announced in an exclusive interview with Tectonic that they’re teaming up with General Atomics to bring their wearable haptic tech to MQ-9 Reaper pilots. GA also […]

Europe

Harmattan Scores 5,000-Drone Follow-On Order from France

Just because Eurosatory is over certainly doesn’t mean our friends across the pond are slowing things down. Yesterday, French autonomy startup Harmattan AI announced that the French government has ordered another 5,000 of its Sonora ISR drones, just a year after ordering a first tranche of 1,000. That first batch—part of a program of record […]

Investment

Booz Allen Buys Ultra I&C Mission Solutions for $720M

Well, gosh darn. Booz Allen ($BAH) is really doubling down on the whole defense tech thing. Yesterday, the government services giant announced that it’s acquiring Ultra I&C Mission Solutions—part of the Cobham Ultra Group—for a cool $720M. When the deal closes (expected by the end of September 2026), Ultra Mission Solutions will become a fully […]