Defense Spending
Defense Spending — Page 2
DoD budgets and European defense spending trends.
Coverage
Anduril Raises $5 Billion Series H at a $61 Billion Valuation
The money is for factories. Five months on, the Ohio plant has built its first Fury jet, and Anduril's first missile deliveries are due in 2027.
Destinus Has Not Confirmed Its €200M Pre-IPO Round
Bloomberg reported the round and a €5 billion valuation in May. Destinus now says Helsing will join a round, but gives no amount or listing date.
US Army Requests $994M for Counter-Drone Tech in FY27
The Army's FY27 budget request includes $994 million for small counter-UAS capabilities, nearly double the $596 million enacted for FY26.
Anduril Gets $100M to Upgrade Space Surveillance Network
Anduril received a $100.3M contract increase to upgrade the Pentagon's Space Surveillance Network with mesh networking by September 2027.
How $50,000 Drones Are Breaking Modern Air Defenses
A $50,000 Shahed forces a $4 million Patriot shot, and Russia launched 6,583 of them in April. The economics of drone warfare have shifted.
Navy Pays $36.9M to HII for More Lionfish Underwater Drones
Naval Sea Systems Command awarded HII a $36.9M contract modification to produce Lionfish small unmanned undersea vehicles through May 2027.
Anduril Names Space-Based Interceptor Team for Golden Dome
Five partners for a Space Force prototype deal whose value Anduril has not disclosed. Golden Dome's 2027 money depends on a bill Congress has not passed.
Drone Battery Suppliers Move Ahead of the NDAA's 2028 Ban
The Pentagon's ban on batteries with Chinese materials phases in from 2028 to 2031. SES AI, 6K Energy and Unusual Machines are moving now.
Rheinmetall's €2.4B Drone Contract Can't Stop Stock Slide
Rheinmetall wins a €2.4B loitering munition contract for Germany but shares hit a 52-week low on valuation concerns.
Saab CEO: Europe Should Buy 70% of Defence From Europe
ASD chair Micael Johansson calls for 70% European sourcing in defence procurement and demand coalitions for consolidation.
EU and Ukraine Launch €100M BraveTech Weapons Program
The EU and Ukraine's Brave1 platform launched BraveTech EU, a €100M initiative to fast-track combat-tested weapons.
AeroVironment Gets $14.6M Army Contract for VAPOR CLE Drones
AeroVironment secured a $14.6M US Army contract for its VAPOR CLE electric VTOL drone under the CoLvl DR SUAS Tranche 2 program for Brigade Combat Teams.
AEVEX Trades 23% Below Its $20 IPO Price Six Months On
Revenue has doubled and guidance is up $100 million, but the stock fell from a $40 peak in May. Its BlackSea shares are worth far less than agreed.
EU Commits €1.07B to Drone and C-UAS Defence Projects
The EU approved €1.07B for 57 defence projects under the European Defence Fund, with major funding for drones and C-UAS.
Europe Is Spending Billions to Build Its Own Military Drones
Germany, France and Poland have set budgets and the EU has loans and a drone shield due by 2027. Nobody has published what Europe's factories make.
Germany Commits €4B to Ukraine: Patriots, IRIS-T, Drones
Germany's €4B defense package for Ukraine covers Patriot missiles, 36 IRIS-T launchers, €300M in long-range weapons, and 5,000 AI-guided strike drones.
Europe's Drone Procurement Runs 3-6 Months Behind the Tech
European defence procurement cycles are too slow for drone technology that evolves every three to six months, according to BCG analysis.
Japan Scraps Attack Helicopters, Buys Drones Instead
Japan's FY2026 defense budget allocates $70M for five wide-area UAVs to replace its entire attack and observation helicopter fleet.
Pentagon Commits $600M to Counter-Drone Systems
JIATF-401 committed over $600M in counter-UAS capabilities for Operation Epic Fury as experts warn investment is overdue.
France Plans Up to 400% More Explosive Drones by 2030
The rise covers explosive drones, not the whole fleet. A Senate report says most of France's drone money still goes to a few big programmes.
Companies
Anduril Industries
US defense technology company building autonomous weapons, counter-UAS, and AI command software, and manufacturing them at its own Arsenal-1 plant in Ohio.
United States
AeroVironment
US manufacturer of small tactical UAS, loitering munitions and counter-UAS systems, transformed in scale by its 2025 acquisition of BlueHalo.
United States
Leidos
US defense and government technology contractor providing systems integration, sensing, cyber, and air and missile defense platforms.
United States
RTX Corporation
RTX is a US aerospace and defense company formed from the 2020 Raytheon–United Technologies merger, run as Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney and Raytheon.
United States
Baykar
Turkish defense company behind the Bayraktar TB2, the most widely exported armed drone of the past decade, now also the owner of Italy's Piaggio Aerospace.
Turkey
General Atomics
Privately held US defense contractor whose GA-ASI division builds the Predator and Reaper families of large military uncrewed aircraft.
United States
Huntington Ingalls Industries
America's largest military shipbuilder and the world's largest producer of unmanned underwater vehicles, spanning nuclear shipbuilding and defense tech.
United States
Rheinmetall
German defense and automotive group producing armored vehicles, ammunition, air defense systems, and military drone platforms.
Germany
Funding
Series C
Sequoia Capital, American Strategic Technology Fund, Interlagos, Valor Equity Partners, Allen & Company, Thiel Capital, Spark Capital, Dylan Field
Neros TechnologiesGrowth
Dragoneer Investment Group, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Disruptive, Iconiq, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, JPMorganChase, CPP Investments, General Catalyst, Plural, StepStone
HelsingUndisclosed
Sequoia Capital, Founders Fund, NATO Innovation Fund, Project A, Air Street Capital, 201 Ventures, Advent, Döpfner Capital
STARKContracts
U.S. Army
L3Harris
Three-year contract from the Army's DEVCOM Aviation & Missile Center to develop a long-range…
Powerus
Unusual Machines
Purchase order from Powerus Corporation for US-made drone components (motors, batteries, cameras and…
U.S. Navy
Boeing
Not-to-exceed IDIQ for system improvements, configuration development, integration, production…
U.S. Army
Raytheon
Counter-drone contracts for components of the LIDS system, built around the KuRFS radar and Coyote…
Morocco Administration of National Defence
EDGE Group
Supply of DESERT STING 16 guided-glide weapons and THUNDER P-31 guidance kits for the Royal Moroccan…
Related Topics
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Every contract award FlightBrief has reported, by quarter, value and buyer.