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NEWS In drone news, TEKEVER, a Portuguese producer of large Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), has announced the establishment of a new business arm in Ukraine. TEKEVER follows Rheinmetall, a German arms manufacturer, and Quantum Systems, a German UAS producer, which both announced plans last year to create factories in Ukraine. During the Cold War, Western defence firms sold finished platforms to frontline states. Now, they’re embedding themselves inside the war economy. For companies like TEKEVER, being close to the front line shortens the iteration cycle and enables them to update their technology faster than the enemy. But this is also part of a broader trend in which defence-tech firms are opening production in customer countries. In an era where sovereign capability is increasingly important, governments want to buy equipment produced on home soil. In maritime news, Kongsberg, a Norwegian defence prime, has launched the ARVAKER I microsatellite to provide maritime surveillance data. It marks the company’s entrance into the space industry as a satellite operator and service provider. This is a timely capability development for Norway, as Russian shadow fleet ships are ramping up their activity in the Baltic Sea. It is also a technology that the UK would benefit from, given recent calls for expansion of the Royal Navy’s surveillance capability after it was revealed that a number of Russian seabed monitoring devices were discovered off the coast of Scotland. Meanwhile, Blue Water Autonomy, an American developer of autonomous surface vessels, recently came out of stealth mode. It is apparently developing a large autonomous cargo ship capable of traveling thousands of miles without a crew. The company is part of a growing trend of defence-tech startups building autonomous naval vessels. As threats evolve, these capabilities could offer a cost-effective and flexible approach to maritime procurement, which has traditionally been focused on large, expensive platforms like aircraft carriers. Companies like Blue Water Autonomy have the potential to reshape the future of naval power. In more drone news, STARK, a German UAS developer, unveiled its One Way Effector Vertical (OWE-V) drone following successful testing in Ukraine. The OWE-V is capable of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and has a claimed range of 100km, in addition to AI-powered targeting. STARK’s product looks very similar to Helsing’s HX-2, which also boasts a 100km range and AI-powered targeting. Both drones use an x-wing design with four rotors and are conceived with mass production in mind. They will be going up against each other, and other companies, in the battle for European market share. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. STARK’s founder, Florian Siebel, is a veteran of the UAS industry. Meanwhile Helsing has raised a total of €823m since 2021 and is valued at approximately €4.95bn. FUNDRAISING Brinc Drones, a US-based developer of drones and related technologies for public safety agencies, raised a $75m Series C round. Gallatin, a US-based developer of AI software to enhance military logistics, raised a $15m Seed round. RLWRLD, a South Korea-based developer of AI foundation models tailored for robotics, raised a $14.8m Seed round. Blue Water Autonomy, a US-based developer of fully autonomous, uncrewed naval ships for the U.S. Navy and commercial clients, raised a $14m Seed round. Qevlar AI, a France-based developer of autonomous AI agents that assist security teams in rapidly investigating and responding to cyber threats, raised a €9m Series A round.
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