Startups & Innovators in Unmanned Systems
New companies, funding rounds, first products and market entries.
FPV drones without a soldering iron: Vienna start-up Dropforce aims to simplify drone building
One circuit board instead of many separate parts, airframes from the 3D printer and a supply chain that is as European as possible: the founders of Dropforce want FPV drones to be built faster and more easily and are now looking for pilot customers.
Counter-drone defence made in and for Austria: Guardaero
Founded in 2025, the Styrian defence tech start-up Guardaero is developing a counter-drone solution to protect vehicles and soldiers at close range. In an interview, founder Lukas Kerschdorfer also talks about close cooperation with the Austrian Armed Forces.
Cardboard drones: Japan's military turns to Air Kamui's Airkamuy
Defence Minister Shinjirō Koizumi has visited the start-up Air Kamui in Nagoya. The Japanese navy already uses its cardboard drones as aerial targets; one-way swarms for reconnaissance would be a further option.
AI situational picture from Styria: Drone Corps invests more than three million euros in Lagebild.one
More than three million euros are going into Lagebild.one, the Joanneum Research spin-off. With the money from Drone Corps, the AI situational picture for emergency and security organisations is to reach market maturity and gain a foothold in the DACH region.
USV: gunboats without a crew
Peter Symonds de Montfort, founder of Sigmund Naval & Marine Ltd, designs unmanned surface vessels (USVs) for maritime operations. The first USV model is soon to be launched. An interview on design, armament and missions.
Counter-drone protection for military vehicles: Graz start-up Guardaero closes seed round
Angels United and BKIemen lead the round, joined by several business angels: Guardaero raises capital for active short-range counter-drone protection – and plans its next funding round in the millions later this year.
Counter-drone defence at low cost: start-up Riseport
Riseport Europe is a German start-up developing low-cost counter-drone solutions. In an interview, managing director Emanuel Aprill explains the Argos system, its passive detection and shotgun-based effector, and the company's plans for series production.
Counter-drone: Deutz invests in Tytan Technologies and supplies propulsion and energy systems
Engine manufacturer Deutz is taking a stake in Tytan Technologies in the current funding round. Together, the partners intend to develop propulsion and energy solutions for counter-drone defence – from interceptor drones to launcher batteries.
Counter-UAS by laser: Inleap Photonics launches with Inleap Fastlight Shield
Light instead of ammunition: the new German company Inleap Photonics aims to neutralise drones in fractions of a second with Inleap Fastlight Shield. A funding round led by High-Tech Gründerfonds is set to speed up market entry and scaling of the counter-UAS system.
AI drone swarm: Sirbai enters defence technology at UMEX 2026
A software-first model, more than 40 engineers and research from Abu Dhabi: Sirbai presents what it says is the Middle East's first AI-enabled autonomous drone swarm technology – designed for contested environments without GPS reception.
GPS-free navigation: dForce Technologies makes small drones autonomous through software
With Force AI, Austrian start-up dForce Technologies aims to give low-cost small drones GPS-free navigation – a capability so far reserved for large, expensive systems. No additional hardware is to be required.
Counter-UAS by interceptor swarm: Atreyd tests its “flying minefield” in Ukraine
Up to 1,000 interceptor drones from a container, controlled by AI: French start-up Atreyd is having its DWS-1 Counter-UAS system tested by a country for the first time – Ukraine. The system is intended as a last line of defence against Shahed drones and glide bombs.
Ground drone swarms: Swarmbotics AI bets on ground swarm robotics with Fire Ant
One operator, many small robots: with Fire Ant, Arizona start-up Swarmbotics AI is developing low-cost, modular robots for ground drone swarms. They are intended to bring reconnaissance and attack closer to the enemy without putting soldiers at risk.