Drone company DZYNE has officially delivered “multiple” of their Grasshopper expendable cargo drones to the US Air Force, as part of their collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory, the company told Tectonic in an exclusive release. “This milestone underscores … the critical role Grasshopper will play not only in contested logistics but also in […]
If you took top Trump officials, Silicon Valley elite, some of the world’s wealthiest investors and executives, and a whole bunch of defense tech founders and stuck them in a room, what would you get? The Hill and Valley Forum, apparently. Yesterday, as budget negotiations continued overhead, tech and policy big guns (pun intended) gathered […]
Pew-pew, but make it miniature. This morning, Anduril unveiled a teeny-tiny version of its Pulsar electronic warfare system, named Pulsar L (Pulsar-Lite). The mini version of the company’s EW set-up—originally unveiled during SOFweek last year—is designed to be highly mobile and protect warfighters way, way out on the edge. Pulsar-L will come in 2 flavors: […]
The hype for hypersonics continues. On Friday, U.S. Army officials released the official name for their long-range hypersonic weapon (LRHW). The service chose “Dark Eagle” as a tribute to the “master hunter known for its speed, stealth and agility,” and because the weapon can function in denied environments. Pretty poetic, tbh. “The Dark Eagle brings […]
The drone companies are joining forces, and fast. On Friday, Israeli-American hydrogen-powered drone company Heven said it had acquired Zepher Flight Labs, which makes vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone systems, as well as hydrogen drones. “Zepher brings deep expertise in lightweight airframes, avionics, and modular payload integration—all of which enhance Heven’s mission of building […]
The future is here, apparently, and it’s electric. On Tuesday, aircraft company Electra announced a $115M Series B, led by Prysm Capital. Jay Park, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Prysm, has also joined Electra’s board of directors. Marc Allen, CEO of Electra, told Tectonic that the money will help the company work toward pre-production and […]
Another week, another (two) new boats from Saronic. Yesterday, the unmanned surface vessel (USV) company unveiled two new models — the 40-foot Mirage and the 60-foot Cipher. According to the company, the boats have been designed with extended range and up to 10,000 pounds of carrying capacity. Saronic CEO Dino Mavrookas said that the new […]
We knew that Ukraine had poured a ton of money and resources into domestic drone development since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, but until last week we didn’t know just how much. Well, now we do—and it’s major. According to data released by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense last week, the country spent over $2.5B […]
Earlier this month (yes, it’s been a long month), President Trump signed a few executive orders aimed at revamping defense acquisition and production that sent the defense tech community abuzz. The President ordered SecDef Hegseth to create a plan to speed up acquisition using existing authorities and prioritizing commercial solutions. He also called for major […]
Looks like Astro Mechanica is really speeding things up. This morning, the supersonic engine and aircraft manufacturing company announced that it has raised $27.1M in funding, co-led by a16z, Lowercarbon, and Giant Step, with significant participation from Alumni and Voyager. Astro Mechanica CEO Ian Brooke told Tectonic in an exclusive interview that the funding will […]
