European Defense
European Defense
EU rearmament, European drone procurement, and NATO coverage.
Coverage
Denmark Registers Four Saildrone Drone Boats Under Its Flag
No binding international safety code covers crewless vessels before 2032, so Denmark's maritime authority and the company set the terms together.
Poland Seeks Interceptor Drones That Can Hit Helicopters
Makers have until 15 October to offer a 20 km interceptor flying 340 km/h or more, or a 4 kg one a soldier can carry.
EU Pays €1.24B for Ukrainian-Made Drones and Interceptors
It is the fifth defence payment from the €90 billion loan, and €15.4 billion of this year's defence money is still unpaid.
Exail Books €87m Loss After Thales Deal Prompts Restatement
Sales and EBITDA grew. The loss comes from obligations to investor ICG and to staff, signed in 2022, that the old accounts left out or understated.
Tekever Raises $580m a Week After Winning UK Army Drone Deal
The Army deal came by direct award after none of eight bids was suitable. Investigators are still finishing a report on an AR5 crash.
Unidentified Drones Shut Luxembourg Airport Twice in a Week
Officials say some were fixed-wing and up to two metres across. None has been caught, and police say they lack the legal power to bring one down.
Five Loitering Munitions Face EU Field Trials in Portugal
The prize is €1.8 million and no one commits to buying the winner, which the European Defence Agency names only in 2027.
Greece Buys €26M of Rafael Drone Dome With Achilles Shield
The counter-drone systems sit in a side deal to Greece's €3 billion air-defence package, and Israel has not said which sites they will guard.
Wingcopter Launches 262 Recon Drone and Moves Into Defence
The German delivery drone maker unveiled a 10 kg tactical reconnaissance aircraft, a defence unit, and a production deal with Ukraine's TAF Industries.
Ukraine's Ai-Petri Jammer Makes Its Export Debut in Poland
The Ai-Petri electronic warfare system, in Ukrainian service since 2024, was shown abroad for the first time at MSPO 2026 in Kielce.
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. Five months on, there is no company statement, filing or listing date.
How Europe Is Integrating AI Into Its Military in 2026
Germany, France and the UK lead Europe's military AI integration, from Helsing loitering munitions to Palantir deals, with Ukraine as the live test.
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's Drone Deal: Exporting Battle-Tested Weapons
Ukraine is launching a structured arms export program selling combat-proven drones and electronic warfare systems to allies.
Companies
Rheinmetall
German defense and automotive group producing armored vehicles, ammunition, air defense systems, and military drone platforms.
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
Quantum Systems
German maker of VTOL reconnaissance drones and autonomy software for European and US defense customers, with large-scale deployment in Ukraine.
Germany
Destinus
Netherlands-headquartered defence manufacturer producing cruise missiles, interceptor drones and turbojet engines, leading the Bliksem EXO consortium.
Netherlands
Elbit Systems
Israeli listed defense electronics company producing UAVs, electro-optics, electronic warfare, precision munitions and C4I systems worldwide.
Israel
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
Thales
French defense and technology group producing avionics, radar, electronic warfare, satellite systems, and counter-drone solutions.
France
Arcanus Aerial Systems
Canadian UAV manufacturer scaling sovereign drone production for defence and government markets, with a Series A upsized to $25 million.
Canada
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
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…
UK Ministry of Defence
Tekever
Project CORVUS: AR5 long-endurance surveillance drones to replace the British Army's Watchkeeper, up…
Government of Canada
AVSS, Volatus Aerospace, Draganfly, Objexis AI, Twenty20 Insight, Beonyx
First contracts under the Defence Drone Initiative Marketplace: up to C$50 million across six…
Hellenic Ministry of National Defence
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems
Supplementary agreement for Rafael Drone Dome counter-drone systems to defend Greek strategic sites…