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 $27.1M in funding, co-led by a16z, Lowercarbon, and Giant Step, with significant participation from Alumni and Voyager. Astro Mechanica CEO Ian Brooke told Tectonic in an exclusive interview that the funding will […]
Looks like Saronic really is trying to build the shipyard of the future. Yesterday, the unmanned surface vessel (USV) company and 8VC darling announced that it’s acquired Gulf Craft, a shipbuilder on the Louisiana coast. The company also unveiled a new 150-foot medium USV (MUSV) called Marauder, which will be prototyped out of Gulf Craft’s […]
The Palantir mafia is expanding. Yesterday, autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) company Vatn Systems announced a strategic partnership with the data giant, which will help it to scale up and streamline its manufacturing capabilities. The company will use Palantir’s Foundry system to digitize the way it works and use artificial intelligence to improve everything from production […]
Looks like Palantir ($PLTR) is making another leap across the pond. On Monday, NATO revealed that it’s acquired the data giant’s AI-powered Maven Smart System, marking a giant leap forward for the alliance’s AI-powered warfare capabilities. NATO’s Allied Command Operations (ACO) will begin using the system within 30 days and will be known as the […]
If you read this newsletter regularly, you’ll know that Anduril has had a hell of a year. In January, the company announced that it’s building a massive, cutting-edge production facility called Arsenal-1, and has since secured major DoD contracts for everything from cUAS, to an Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS), to rocket motors. And that’s […]
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Maritime autonomy is all the rage. Late last week, autonomous shipbuilder Blue Water Autonomy emerged from stealth and announced $14M in seed funding led by Eclipse, Riot, and Impatient Ventures. The company is building a larger-profile, fully autonomous warship for the US Navy that can stay […]
For those of you who’ve taken a relaxing vacation under a rock for the past week: on April 2, Trump unveiled sweeping, massive tariffs on nearly all imports to the United States, sending markets into a tailspin. Yesterday, Trump paused most of those tariffs for 90 days but maintained a general 10% tariff on all […]
Many of the hardest things about warfare are the things that seem the simplest. Like getting the right supplies to the right place at the right time. It’s super tough to know what fighters need and to get it to them before it’s too late, especially in far-flung places like the Indo-Pacific. (US military leaders […]
