European Defense
European Defense — Page 2
EU rearmament, European drone procurement, and NATO coverage.
Coverage
MSPO 2026 Hits 1,000 Exhibitors With Canada as Lead Nation
Poland's defence exhibition sold out two months early and drew a record field, with 25 Ukrainian firms and the first non-European lead nation.
Germany blames Russia for the Leipzig airport drone attack
Berlin named Russia on 1 September for an explosive-carrying drone at Leipzig/Halle. The unit legally allowed to stop one is going from 150 people to 300.
Rotron SkyLance Loitering Munition Passes First Tests
Rotron Aerospace completes demonstration tests of SkyLance, a low-cost long-range loitering munition, days after Ondas bought the British firm.
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.
Germany, Britain and France Buy Military AI Three Ways
Germany signed loitering-munition frameworks it can cancel, Britain a targeting network and a Palantir partnership, France a sovereign deal with Mistral.
Safran and Baykar Deal Puts French Sensors on TB2 Drones
Safran will fit its Euroflir optronics and navigation systems to Baykar's TB2, replacing the Canadian L3Harris Wescam MX-15.
Ukrainian Drone Teams Beat NATO Forces in Aurora 2026 Drill
Fewer than 20 Ukrainian FPV pilots repeatedly shut down Aurora 2026, destroying 28 of 32 vehicles in one engagement and an airfield in 20 minutes.
Bundeswehr Tests AI Drone Swarms with STARK Munitions
Germany's Bundeswehr tested AI-enabled recce-strike drone swarms with STARK's Virtus munition and Minerva C2 software.
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.
Ukraine Signs 11 Drone Deals as Arms Exports Slowly Begin
The deals are frameworks with secret terms. Export rules took effect in July, but the fast track was slow to issue its first permits.
Arcanus's Beyond Vision Licence Is Still Only a Term Sheet
Six months on, no definitive deal to build the Portuguese drones in Canada has been announced. Arcanus's order claims are its own.
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.
Stendr Raises $5.4M Pre-Seed for Nordic Counter-Drone AI
Norwegian startup Stendr raised $5.4M in pre-seed funding to build an AI-native defense platform targeting Europe's drone detection and response gap.
Volatus Aerospace Wins CAD $2.1M NATO Training Contract
Volatus Aerospace won a CAD $2.1M contract to deliver drone training for security forces at a NATO-allied ministry.
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.
Netherlands Commits €248M to Drone Production for Ukraine
The Netherlands will fund €248M in drone production for Ukraine, covering Dutch-made and Ukrainian-made UAVs.
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.
Royal Netherlands Navy Declares Shield AI V-BAT Operational
The Royal Netherlands Navy has fielded 12 Shield AI V-BAT drones across 8 vessels after testing aboard HNLMS Johan de Witt off northern Norway.
Companies
Helsing
Munich defence company building AI software, the HX-2 strike drone, the SG-1 Fathom underwater glider and the CA-1 Europa uncrewed combat jet.
Germany
Quantum Systems
German maker of VTOL reconnaissance drones and autonomy software for European and US defense customers, with large-scale deployment in Ukraine.
Germany
Rheinmetall
German defense and automotive group producing armored vehicles, ammunition, air defense systems, and military drone platforms.
Germany
Destinus
Netherlands-headquartered defence manufacturer producing cruise missiles, interceptor drones and turbojet engines, leading the Bliksem EXO consortium.
Netherlands
STARK
Berlin defense company building loitering munitions, uncrewed surface vessels and command software, supplying the Bundeswehr under a 2026 framework.
Germany
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
Elbit Systems
Israeli listed defense electronics company producing UAVs, electro-optics, electronic warfare, precision munitions and C4I systems worldwide.
Israel
Frontline Robotics
Ukrainian defense robotics company making the Zoom reconnaissance drone, the Linza bomber and logistics drone, and the Buria remote weapon module.
Ukraine
Funding
Series D
UC Investments, Baillie Gifford, Merlyn Advisors, Crescent Cove, Ventura Capital, Iberis Capital
TekeverGrowth
Dragoneer Investment Group, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Disruptive, Iconiq, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, JPMorganChase, CPP Investments, General Catalyst, Plural, StepStone
HelsingSeries D
Blackstone, Noteus, Airbus, Advent, BOND, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Wellington Management, A.P. Moller Holding, Elephant Lake Ventures, Balderton, HV Capital
Quantum SystemsUndisclosed
Sequoia Capital, Founders Fund, NATO Innovation Fund, Project A, Air Street Capital, 201 Ventures, Advent, Döpfner Capital
STARKSeed
Rainfall Ventures, ACME Capital, Skyfall Ventures, Sisyphus Ventures, Antler, Startuplab, Off Piste, Andøya Ventures
StendrContracts
Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV)
Saildrone
A year-long maritime surveillance service for the Swedish Navy in the Baltic Sea: four Saildrone…
U.S. Special Operations Command
Tekever
Purchase of Tekever drone systems after validation and acceptance testing; the number, model and…
U.S. Army
L3Harris
Three-year contract from the Army's DEVCOM Aviation & Missile Center to develop a long-range…
U.S. Coast Guard
Shield AI
Order 70Z02326F93130011 to add sensors to current and future V-BAT operations, running to 30…
U.S. Army
Wescam USA (L3Harris)
Ceiling of a three-year IDIQ for commercial counter-drone capabilities under JIATF-401's Domestic…