PentagonTech

Aeon Snags $13.8M SOCOM Contract for Shoulder-Fired Zeus Missiles

Business is truly booming in the boom business. Yesterday, Austin-based new-age missile startup Aeon announced that it’s snagged a $13.8M contract to deliver an initial production batch of its software-defined, shoulder-fired Zeus missiles to US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). The deal covers roughly 100 of the systems, expected to be shipped out over the next […]

Tech

Oshkosh and Grid Aero Team Up for Logistics UAVs

Back when we started Tectonic, we wondered (out loud, a lot) when the great wave of prime-startup partnerships would come into full swing. It seems, nearly two years on, that we’re officially in the thick of it. Yesterday, contested logistics UAV startup Grid Aero announced that it’s inked an official partnership with Oshkosh Defense (not […]

PentagonTech

Aevex Inks $41.6M Mine-Hunting Deal with the US Navy

Rumors of Aevex’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.  On Friday, the California-based drone-maker announced that it’s secured $41.6M across two contracts with the Navy for its Fisher and SightGlass mine countermeasure (MCM) systems, designed to be deployed from the company’s Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) and its newer Lynx and Chaser small unmanned surface vessels […]

EuropeTech

Shield AI and Leonardo Team Up for Heli-Drones

Last year, it was all, “Everyone loves a tiny little autonomous plane.” Now it’s all, “Everyone loves a tiny little helicopter.” What’s next? Yesterday, autonomy giant Shield AI announced that it’s inked a partnership with European prime Leonardo to integrate its flagship Hivemind autonomy stack onto Proteus, the prime’s “uncrewed rotorcraft” (read: helicopter drone). “Leonardo […]

InvestmentTech

ICYMI: Watchtower Labs Exits the Shadows with a $35M Seed

In case you missed it, there is a new player on the unsexy side of defense. Last week, a new AI-powered planning and logistics company called Watchtower Labs emerged from stealth with $35M in seed funding led by Shield Capital and Conviction, with participation from Founders Fund. The idea is to build “AI-native applications that […]

PentagonTech

Nominal Secures $71M to Expand Across Collaborative Combat Aircraft Testing

The data nerds over at Nominal are (still) on a bit of a heater, this time with one of the Air Force’s most ambitious programs. The testing startup announced yesterday that it’s been selected for a $71.2M AFWERX Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI)—split between $30M of Nominal’s own cash and $41.2M of government funding—to expand its […]