Which startups have raised the most funding in the military drones market?
We update this military drones market startup list every month.

In our updated market reports, you will find everything you need
The military drones market is one of the most active areas in defense technology, with funding concentrated around autonomous systems, reconnaissance drones, naval drones, and counter-drone platforms.
This list ranks startups by cumulative funding raised, so investors can quickly see which military drone companies have attracted the most capital.
We update this list every month to keep the ranking useful as new defense funding rounds, IPOs, acquisitions, and shutdowns appear.
A quick summary table
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Most funded startup | Anduril Industries, $11.3B raised |
| Second most funded startup | Helsing, $2.7B raised |
| Largest funding round | Anduril Industries, $5.0B Series H in May 2026 |
| Median funding | $49M across ranked military drones startups |
| Share of funding captured by the top 10 | About 91.0% of total ranked funding |
| Median time since last round | About 18 months |
| Startups that raised funding in the last 12 months | 23 startups |
| Military drone startups above $1B raised | 5 startups |
| Active military drone companies in the ranking | 44 startups |
| Public or IPO-linked drone companies | 6 companies |
Top startups in the military drones market ranked by total funding raised
Here is an updated table that ranks the top startups in the military drones market based on the total amount of funding they have raised to date.
The table also includes the total number of funding rounds, the date and size of the latest round, the financing type (e.g. Series A, equity financing), key investors, the startup’s current status (active, IPO, acquired, or shut down), and a confidence score based on the data collected (we excluded startups with very low data confidence, to make sure everything is reliable).
If you're interested in knowing how much these startups are worth, you can check our list of the top startups in the military drones market ranked by valuation.
| # | Startup | What They Do | Total Raised ($) | Total Rounds | Last Round Date | Last Round Amount ($) | Last Round Type | Key Investors | Current Stage | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anduril Industries | Autonomous defense systems platform | $11.3B | 9 | May 2026 | $5.0B | Series H | Thrive Capital, Andreessen Horowitz | Active | Full |
| 2 | Helsing | AI defense and autonomous drones | $2.7B | 5 | May 2026 | $1.2B | Late-stage reported round | Dragoneer, Lightspeed | Active | Strong |
| 3 | Saronic Technologies | Autonomous naval surface vessels | $2.6B | 4 | March 2026 | $1.8B | Series D | Kleiner Perkins, DFJ Growth, Glade Brook Capital | Active | Strong |
| 4 | Shield AI | Autonomous aircraft AI pilots | $2.3B | 10 | March 2026 | $1.5B | Series G | Advent International, JPMorganChase SRI | Active | Partial |
| 5 | Quantum Systems | AI-powered military reconnaissance drones | $1.8B | 5 | July 2026 | $1.2B | Series D | Blackstone, Airbus, Advent | Active | Strong |
| 6 | Skydio | Autonomous American drone systems | $825M | 8 | April 2026 | $85M | Series F / later round | Hercules Capital, Greenline | Active | Strong |
| 7 | Stark | Weaponized autonomous drone systems | $667M | 4 | June 2026 | $567M | Growth round | Sequoia Capital, Founders Fund, NATO Innovation Fund | Active | Partial |
| 8 | Epirus | High-power microwave air defense | $537M | 4 | March 2025 | $250M | Series D | 8VC, Washington Harbour Partners, General Dynamics Land Systems | Active | Partial |
| 9 | AEVEX Aerospace | Autonomous military drone systems | $475M | 2 | June 2026 | $155M | Follow-on public offering | Public investors, Goldman Sachs, BofA Securities | IPO | Strong |
| 10 | Red Cat Holdings | Defense drone systems provider | $423M | 4 | May 2026 | $225M | Public offering | Public-market investors | IPO | Partial |
| 11 | DroneShield | AI counter-drone defense systems | $190M | 5 | August 2024 | $78M | Post-IPO placement | Institutional investors, sophisticated investors, public shareholders | IPO | Partial |
| 12 | Raphe mPhibr | Indian military UAV manufacturer | $145M | 5 | June 2025 | $100M | Series B | General Catalyst, Think Investments, Amal Parikh | Active | Partial |
| 13 | Firestorm Labs | Expeditionary drone manufacturing systems | $130M | 3 | April 2026 | $82M | Series B | Washington Harbour Partners, NEA, Ondas | Active | Strong |
| 14 | Dedrone | Smart counter-drone airspace security | $130M | 8 | July 2022 | $30M | Series C-1 | Axon, Aqton Partners, Menlo Ventures | Acquired | Strong |
| 15 | Neros Technologies | Low-cost combat drone manufacturing | $121M | 3 | November 2025 | $75M | Series B | Sequoia Capital | Active | Strong |
| 16 | Elroy Air | Autonomous cargo VTOL drones | $116M | 6 | November 2024 | $7M | Series A-V / Venture | Shasta Ventures, Hone Capital, undisclosed | Active | Partial |
| 17 | HevenDrones / Heven AeroTech | Hydrogen defense UAV systems | $115M | 3 | December 2025 | $100M | Series B | IonQ, Texas Venture Partners, BasisTech | Active | Partial |
| 18 | Dominion Dynamics | Arctic autonomous defense systems | $115M | 2 | June 2026 | $100M | Series A | Georgian, Valor Equity Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners | Active | Strong |
| 19 | Terra Drone | Drone UTM and inspection systems | $98M | 3 | January 2023 | $14M | Series C / Strategic | INPEX, Mitsui, Wa’ed Ventures | IPO | Strong |
| 20 | TEKEVER | AI autonomous defense UAS | $97M | 3 | May 2025 | Undisclosed | Series B / Extension | Ventura Capital, Baillie Gifford, NATO Innovation Fund | Active | Partial |
| 21 | XTEND | AI tactical drone robotics | $90M | 3 | July 2025 | $30M | Series B extension | Aliya Capital Partners, Protego Ventures, Claltech | Active | Strong |
| 22 | ideaForge | Indian defense UAV maker | $83M | 5 | June 2023 | $29M | IPO fresh issue | Public investors, Nomura, Goldman Sachs | IPO | Strong |
| 23 | Dronamics | Cargo drone airline | $78M | 4 | June 2025 | $34M | Series A extension | European Innovation Council, SDF, Speedinvest | Active | Partial |
| 24 | Volansi | VTOL cargo drone logistics | $75M | 5 | September 2020 | $50M | Series B | Icon Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Y Combinator | Acquired | Partial |
| 25 | Fortem Technologies | Counter-drone radar and interceptors | $69M | 5 | February 2023 | $18M | Series B / venture round | Lockheed Martin Ventures, Hanwha Aerospace, AIM13 | Active | Partial |
| 26 | D-Fend Solutions | RF cyber counter-drone takeover | $66M | 3 | December 2024 | $31M | Series C / growth round | Israel Growth Partners, Vertex Ventures, Vertex Growth | Active | Strong |
| 27 | Wingtra | VTOL mapping drones | $58M | 3 | August 2024 | $26M | Series B1 | RKKVC, Brick & Mortar Ventures, DiamondStream Partners | Active | Partial |
| 28 | NewSpace Research and Technologies | Military swarm drone systems | $57M | 3 | March 2024 | $33M | Bridge / Growth Equity | Cornerstone Venture Partners, 360 ONE Asset, Volrado Venture Partners | Active | Partial |
| 29 | Garuda Aerospace | Drone manufacturing and services | $50M | 9 | April 2025 | $12M | Series B | Venture Catalysts, SphitiCap, WeFounderCircle | Active | Partial |
| 30 | SkySafe | Cloud drone detection systems | $49M | 6 | January 2025 | $4M | Venture / extension | Andreessen Horowitz, Kingfisher Investment Advisors, Gaingels | Active | Strong |
| 31 | Aeronautics Group | Israeli unmanned aircraft systems | $40M | 2 | June 2017 | $15M | IPO primary issuance | Leumi Partners, public investors | Acquired | Strong |
| 32 | Swarmer | Autonomous drone swarm software | $35M | 3 | March 2026 | $17M | IPO | Public investors, Lucid Capital Markets | IPO | Strong |
| 33 | Terra Industries | African autonomous security drones | $34M | 2 | March 2026 | $22M | Seed Extension | Lux Capital, 8VC, Nova Global | Active | Strong |
| 34 | WhiteFox Defense | Counter-drone airspace security | $32M | 5 | June 2021 | $5M | Series A extension | Marlinspike Capital, Tiga Investments, Serra Ventures | Active | Full |
| 35 | Robin Radar Systems | Drone and bird radar | $26M | 3 | January 2025 | $26M | Growth financing | ABP, Parcom, INKEF Capital | Acquired | Partial |
| 36 | Darkhive | Military autonomous drone systems | $25M | 2 | September 2024 | $21M | Series A | Ten Eleven Ventures, Crosslink Capital, RTX Ventures | Active | Full |
| 37 | Donecle | Drone aircraft inspection | $19M | 3 | April 2026 | $11M | Series B / Growth | IRDI Capital Investissement, SWEN Capital Partners, GSO Innovation | Active | Strong |
| 38 | SpearUAV | Encapsulated loitering drones | $17M | 1 | May 2022 | $17M | Series B | UVision Air, undisclosed investors | Acquired | Strong |
| 39 | DELAIR | Long-range reconnaissance UAVs | $17M | 3 | September 2018 | Undisclosed | Expansion equity | Intel Capital, Andromède, Bpifrance | Active | Strong |
| 40 | Overwatch Imaging | AI airborne ISR imaging | $17M | 4 | July 2025 | $6M | Series A-II / venture round | Squadra Ventures, Shield Capital, L3Harris Technologies | Active | Partial |
| 41 | Vermeer | GPS-denied drone navigation | $17M | 7 | October 2025 | $10M | Series A | Draper Associates, AeroX Ventures, Rockaway Ventures | Active | Partial |
| 42 | Teal Drones | Small defense reconnaissance drones | $14M | 3 | 2017 | $10M | Series A | Sovereign Wealth Fund of Oman, Alumni Ventures, Harpoon VC | Acquired | Partial |
| 43 | Animal Dynamics | Bio-inspired military drones | $10M | 6 | November 2018 | $8M | Series A | Oxford Sciences Innovation, Kindred Capital, Tanarra Capital | Shutdown | Partial |
| 44 | Regulus Cyber | GNSS spoofing drone protection | $10M | 3 | May 2020 | $4M | Series B | SPDG Ventures, Sierra Ventures, Canaan Partners Israel | Active | Strong |
| 45 | Parallel Flight Technologies | Heavy-lift hybrid UAVs | $9M | 5+ | 2025 | Undisclosed | Equity Crowdfunding | StartEngine, crowdfunding investors | Active | Partial |
| 46 | Farsight Vision | Battlefield intelligence and drone autonomy | $9M | 1 | February 2026 | $9M | Seed | Axon Enterprise, SmartCap Defence Fund | Active | Full |
| 47 | Elistair | Tethered surveillance drones | $8M | 2 | March 2021 | $6M | Series B | Omnes, Starquest Capital | Active | Strong |
| 48 | FlightWave Aerospace | Long-range VTOL ISR drones | $8M | 1+ | August 2017 | Undisclosed | Seed | Breakout Labs, WorldQuant Ventures, Decisive Point | Acquired | Partial |
| 49 | CERBAIR | Anti-drone detection and mitigation | $8M | 2 | February 2020 | $6M | Series A / venture | Boundary Holding, Aubé Management, MBDA | Active | Strong |
| 50 | General Aeronautics | Agriculture and aerospace drones | $7M | 8 | December 2024 | $3M | Series A / A+ | Fowler Westrup, Mela Ventures, Wealthy Ideas | Active | Partial |
| 51 | Callen-Lenz | UAS design and integration | $7M | 1 | August 2021 | $7M | Growth equity | Foresight Group | Acquired | Strong |
| 52 | BonV Aero | Heavy-lift logistics drones | $6M | 8 | August 2025 | $1M | Seed | Udyat Ventures, Tim Draper, Unicorn India Ventures | Active | Partial |
| 53 | Easy Aerial | Autonomous drone-in-a-box systems | $6M | 2 | August 2020 | $6M | Series A | BIRD Foundation, Founder Institute | Active | Partial |
| 54 | Unmanned Defense Systems | Battlefield UAV swarm systems | $4M | 1 | May 2024 | $4M | Series A | Coinvest Capital, Vytenis Buzas, Ernestas Kalabuckas | Active | Full |
| 55 | Origin Robotics | Reusable autonomous defense drones | $3M | 1 | October 2024 | $3M | Pre-seed | Change Ventures, Silicon Roundabout Ventures | Active | Strong |
| 56 | Airlogix | Military UAV systems | $3M | 1 | February 2026 | $3M | Seed | bValue, SMOK Ventures, angel investors | Active | Strong |
| 57 | Bavovna AI | GPS-denied drone navigation | $3M | 2 | November 2024 | $2M | Late Seed | Presto Tech Horizons, Network VC, Allied VC | Active | Partial |
| 58 | FlyingBasket | Heavy cargo delivery drones | $2M | 4 | June 2023 | $2M | Seed | Cysero, B Heroes, MassChallenge | Active | Partial |
| 59 | Zulu Defence Systems | Tactical air-defense drone systems | $1M | 2 | May 2025 | $0M | Angel | Finvolve, India Accelerator, Hardik Kothiya | Active | Strong |
Key funding trends in the military drones market
Insights
- Military drone funding is extremely concentrated, with the top 10 companies capturing about 91% of all ranked capital in this dataset
- Anduril Industries alone raised $11.3B, which is more than Helsing, Saronic Technologies, Shield AI, Quantum Systems, and Skydio combined
- The top five military drone startups raised about $20.7B, showing that investors are backing broad autonomy platforms more aggressively than niche drone hardware companies
- Saronic Technologies reached $2.6B across only four rounds, which suggests unusually high capital intensity for autonomous naval defense platforms
- European defense autonomy is now attracting very large rounds, with Helsing and Quantum Systems each closing roughly $1.2B latest funding rounds
- Firestorm Labs and Neros Technologies raised $251M combined, showing strong investor appetite for lower-cost, scalable military drone manufacturing
- Counter-drone specialists such as Dedrone, SkySafe, D-Fend Solutions, WhiteFox Defense, Regulus Cyber, and CERBAIR raised about $295M combined, far below the largest autonomy platforms
- Several major 2026 rounds from Anduril, Helsing, Quantum Systems, Saronic, Dominion Dynamics, and AEVEX Aerospace show that military drone capital formation accelerated sharply this year
A few word about our methodology
As you can see, we built a database that ranks startups in the military drones market based on their total cumulative fundraising. To create this ranking, we reviewed many sources and cross-checked information across multiple places.
Whenever possible, we prioritized official company communications, since these are usually the most reliable sources for military drone funding amounts. When those were not available, we relied on reputable industry sources such as TechCrunch, Crunchbase, Financial Times or Forbes (to name a few).
We excluded random blogs, unverified websites, and any sources that could not be validated.
When funding rounds were announced in other currencies such as euros, Swiss francs, Singapore dollars, Australian dollars, or rupees, we converted them into approximate USD equivalents for consistency.
Sometimes different sources report slightly different numbers, or the exact round size is not fully disclosed. In those cases, we flag the uncertainty and assign a confidence label to each startup, visible in the last column.
Here is what they mean.
Full confidence: The company’s equity fundraising history can be reconstructed completely from public sources. The rounds, dates, amounts, and key investors are clearly identified, with no meaningful gaps.
Strong confidence: The fundraising history is largely complete and reliable. There may be a small missing detail, such as incomplete investor information or a minor round with limited data, but the overall record is clear.
Partial confidence: The main fundraising rounds can be identified, but the record is incomplete or somewhat mixed. Some rounds may be missing or certain funding events may be difficult to separate clearly.
Low confidence: Public information is too limited, inconsistent, or ambiguous to reliably reconstruct the company’s equity fundraising history.
When the confidence level is too low, we take a conservative approach and exclude the company from the ranking. We don’t want to include data that cannot be reliably verified.
In a world where LLMs hallucinate and unreliable information is everywhere, our goal is simple: provide data you can trust.
If you want the full detail on a specific calculation, feel free to contact us and we will gladly explain.
Finally, know that we update the dataset once per month, so come back here if you need fresh information.
Related blog posts
- What are the key fundraising trends in the military drones market?
- The highest-valued startups in the military drones market
- What does funding activity look like in the military drones market?
- A complete overview of funding deals in the military drones market
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