Well, we’re back to remind you that maritime autonomy is all the rage. This morning, Saildrone announced in an exclusive release to Tectonic that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has signed a blanket purchase agreement (BPA) with a cap of $37M to buy the company’s unmanned vessels in support of the US Coast Guard […]
For an industry that hasn’t changed a whole lot in decades, solid rocket motors (SRMs) have had quite a month. A week after Anduril opened its SRM facility in Mississippi, Ursa Major announced yesterday that it has held successful static tests of its SRM on BAE’s APKWS guided missile. Given the critical gap in supply […]
Pew pew is back, baby. This morning, laser communications company Aalyria—a spinoff of Google—announced that their Tightbeam system has achieved two major technical milestones as part of a $7M contract to develop over-the-horizon connectivity with the Navy Research Laboratory: These both represent a major breakthrough in overcoming atmospheric complications in laser communication close to the […]
There’s no shortage of companies promising to automate aviation, but Beacon AI just wants to make the human pilots better. And so far, the DoD is loving it. On Tuesday, the aviation decision-making startup announced it won its twelfth contract, this time a Direct-to-Phase II SBIR with the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). Beacon, […]
In case you haven’t heard, there’s a bit of a legal drama happening in the defense tech world. On August 4, publicly held drone company Red Cat Holdings ($RCAT) filed a lawsuit against drone company Vector Defense (and its co-founder and CTO George Matus) for stealing trade secrets under the Defend Trade Secrets Act. Red […]
Between the rollercoaster Ukraine mineral deal and the Pentagon’s $400M investment in MP Materials, rare earth minerals have been all the rage in 2025. And yesterday, they got even more hyped when North Carolina-based rare earth magnet processing startup Vulcan Elements announced a $65M Series A led by Altimeter, bringing total funding to $75M. The […]
Some people’s retirement plans involve beach houses and golf. For others, hypersonic missiles and startups. On Monday, Castelion announced the hire of Capt. Greg Zettler, the Navy’s most recent Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) Program Manager, following his retirement after three decades in uniform. We told you the hype for hypersonics is real—and the startup scene […]
Looks like the Navy is getting into the energy biz. Late last week, the Department of the Navy released a solicitation asking industry to develop “innovative, deployable energy solutions capable of powering Navy and Marine Corps installations with unmatched resilience, security, and reliability.” The idea is to build super-rugged energy infrastructure that can provide power […]
Tiny planes are truly having their moment. On Thursday, VTOL giant Archer Aviation went on a shopping spree—snapping up a manufacturing facility and assets, plus another VTOL maker’s patent portfolio—to speed development of its next-gen defense aircraft. Tiny plane, big impact: In case you don’t know, Archer was founded in California in 2018 by Adam […]
Institutional investors are going batshit crazy for defense. Yesterday, five major financial institutions, including ING and JPMorgan Chase, announced that they’re backing the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank, a new not-for-profit bank that will help NATO countries and allies finance defense needs. Backed by these finance heavy-hitters, DSRB will issue AAA-rated bonds for countries to […]
