Tech

Saronic Picks Brownsville, TX for Port Alpha

Well, guys, the moment you’ve all been waiting for (or, at least, that some of you have been waiting for) has finally arrived.  This morning, autonomous surface vessel (ASV) hotshot (and newly-minted member of Iran’s shit list) Saronic announced that it’s officially picked Brownsville, TX, as the site for its futuristic shipyard, Port Alpha. Saronic […]

InvestmentPentagon

ICYMI: ReElement Scores $25M from the Pentagon

If you weren’t sold on the whole “the US is getting hella serious about rare earths and critical minerals” thing, well, the Pentagon is back to prove you wrong—again. In case you missed it, on Monday the DoD announced that the Economic Defense Unit (EDU), in partnership with the Office of the Under Secretary of […]

InvestmentTech

Exclusive: Antaris Launches Defense-Focused Business, Aeonyx

Look out, world. The space guys are coming for your defense contracts. This morning, Antaris—which, to date, has done simulation and modeling primarily for space-based assets—announced in an exclusive release to Tectonic that it’s launching a dedicated defense-focused mission virtualization company called Aeonyx. The company will help “defense organizations evaluate architectures, validate operational concepts, improve […]

EuropeInvestment

Valarian Raises $50M Series A

Well, gosh darn. Our friends across the pond really are having quite the month. This morning, UK-based Valarian—which is building “the sovereign infrastructure layer for high-consequence operations and AI-driven systems”—announced that it’s raised a $50M Series A led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA). “We’re really, really excited to partner with [NEA],” Valarian founder and CEO […]

EuropeTech

Harmattan and Dassault Unveil Co-Developed NAMIB EW System

Well, seems like the Dassault-Harmattan AI partnership is working out just fine.  This morning, the Paris-based autonomy startup and the French aviation giant announced that they’ve teamed up to build—and successfully integrate and test—a new EW detection drone payload called NAMIB. And they’ve already tried it out. In a recent test, a drone (built with […]

PentagonTech

Pentagon Awards $86M in OTAs for Laser Weapons

Pew-pew, baby. Laser weapons are here to stay. Yesterday, the Pentagon announced that it’s awarded two OTAs to nLIGHT Defense and Lockheed Martin Aculight to develop laser weapons systems to “advance the United States’ next-generation cruise missile and unmanned aerial system (UAS) defense architecture.” The combined awards have an initial contract value of $86M with […]

PentagonTech

Exclusive: Ordnance Aero Scores DEVCOM CRADA

If you thought there were enough companies that were making the things that go boom, think again. This morning, new and stealthy munitions startup Ordnance Aero announced in an exclusive release to Tectonic that they’ve entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center (DEVCOM […]

EuropeInvestment

Kraken Raises $175M at a $1B Valuation

Welp, big ol’ week for our friends across the pond.  This morning, British maritime autonomy darling Kraken Technology announced that it’s raised a $175M Series B at a $1B valuation, which the company says will “accelerate Kraken’s rapid capability development and international manufacturing expansion.” The round was led by DTCP with participation from the British […]

Europe

Expeditions Raises €197M Fund II 

If you still had any doubts that Europe was getting serious about defense (and defense tech), well, we’re back with even more evidence to prove you wrong. Yesterday, Warsaw-based VC Expeditions announced that it’s raised a €197M ($224.5M) Fund II, which it says will “address Europe’s critical capability gaps, as well as strengthen economic and […]