CesiumAstro closed a $730 million Series D on November 5, valuing the Austin company at more than $4.5 billion. Janus Henderson led. Insight Partners, Sands Capital, Sumitomo Corporation of Americas, Toyota's Woven Capital, Incharge Capital, Magnetar, AV and NewSpace Capital came in alongside, and the Export-Import Bank of the United States and JPMorgan added another $100 … [Read more...] about CesiumAstro Raises $730 Million at Above $4.5 Billion to Run Its Own 737-Satellite Constellation
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Defense Demand Index Falls to 12 Slack as the October Contract Lull Meets a Defense Stock Slide
The Defense Demand Index closed the week ending October 30 at 12.0, in the Slack zone. A week earlier it read 51.4 and a month earlier 60.2. That is the lowest reading since the index starts in July 2025, and it comes from two places at once. Pentagon contract announcements have gone quiet in the first month of fiscal 2027, and defense stocks have spent eleven weeks falling … [Read more...] about Defense Demand Index Falls to 12 Slack as the October Contract Lull Meets a Defense Stock Slide
TOTE Picks Hanwha Philly Shipyard as First Builder Under Navy Medium Landing Ship Deal Worth $269 Million
The first shipyard picked under the Navy's new Medium Landing Ship setup wasn't picked by the Navy. TOTE Services, the commercial firm the Navy hired in July as vessel construction manager, said on October 30 that it had identified Hanwha Defense USA to build one ship at Hanwha Philly Shipyard. The deal is valued at $269 million, with options for three more hulls. It's Hanwha … [Read more...] about TOTE Picks Hanwha Philly Shipyard as First Builder Under Navy Medium Landing Ship Deal Worth $269 Million
Watchtower Labs and Assail Federal Show Defense Tech Money Chasing Faster Military Planning and Cyber Testing
Two defense software announcements in the past ten days point at the same problem. Military decisions run slower than the threats they answer. Watchtower Labs, a Seattle startup, came out of stealth with a $35 million seed round to build AI planning tools for military logistics. Assail, a Boston cybersecurity company, set up a federal subsidiary to sell autonomous attack … [Read more...] about Watchtower Labs and Assail Federal Show Defense Tech Money Chasing Faster Military Planning and Cyber Testing
Deepnight Wins Army OTA Under DUTCH Program to Bring AI Night Vision Processing to Cheap Thermal Sensors
Deepnight, a San Francisco startup that does night vision with AI instead of image intensifier tubes, has won a US Army Other Transaction Agreement to bring the same approach to thermal sensing. The award sits under the Army's Delivering Unmatched Thermal Capability Hastened program, DUTCH for short. The value wasn't disclosed. The target is cost. Good thermal sensors run … [Read more...] about Deepnight Wins Army OTA Under DUTCH Program to Bring AI Night Vision Processing to Cheap Thermal Sensors
EVIO Turns Its Electric Airliner Batteries Into a Palletized Battery Box for Arctic and Remote Defence Power
EVIO, a Montréal company building a hybrid-electric regional airliner, has introduced a battery storage unit for defence. The Battery Box is the first product in what EVIO calls its Portable Power family, and it uses the same lithium-ion packs the company is developing for its EVIO 810 aircraft. It's an aerospace startup finding a defence customer for its core technology … [Read more...] about EVIO Turns Its Electric Airliner Batteries Into a Palletized Battery Box for Arctic and Remote Defence Power
Iris Technology Takes OceanSound Investment to Ramp Rad-Hard Satellite Electronics for Missile Warning and Golden Dome
Iris Technology, a maker of electronics for national security space payloads, has taken a strategic investment from private equity firm OceanSound Partners. Terms weren't disclosed. Founder and CEO Ed O'Rourke stays in charge with his current team and keeps a significant ownership stake. Iris has been in business since 1986. That's the point of the deal. The boring boxes that … [Read more...] about Iris Technology Takes OceanSound Investment to Ramp Rad-Hard Satellite Electronics for Missile Warning and Golden Dome
Firehawk Defense Raises $150M+ Series D at Over $1.4B Valuation to Mass-Produce Rocket and Artillery Motors
Firehawk Defense has closed an upsized, oversubscribed Series D of more than $150 million at a valuation above $1.4 billion. Advent and Rochefort Asset Management led the round. The Dallas company raised a $60 million Series C only in September 2025, and took a strategic investment two months later to speed up solid rocket motor production. That's a fast climb for a motor … [Read more...] about Firehawk Defense Raises $150M+ Series D at Over $1.4B Valuation to Mass-Produce Rocket and Artillery Motors
Fairbanks Morse Defense Wins $100M Navy Deal to Keep Ohio and Los Angeles Class Submarines at Sea
The US Navy has awarded Fairbanks Morse Defense a follow-on, sole-source contract worth $99.09 million to overhaul emergency diesel generators on six nuclear submarines. Naval Sea Systems Command placed the award. Work runs through 2030, with several overhauls a year. It's a maintenance contract, and that's exactly why it matters. The Navy's problem isn't building new … [Read more...] about Fairbanks Morse Defense Wins $100M Navy Deal to Keep Ohio and Los Angeles Class Submarines at Sea
FEINDEF 27 Is 94% Booked Seven Months Out as Spain’s Defence Show Grows 46%
FEINDEF 27, Spain's international defence and security exhibition, has booked 94% of its floor space seven months before opening. The fifth edition runs May 18-20, 2027 at IFEMA Madrid. The numbers show how fast European defence demand has grown. The show is expected to exceed 89,000 square metres, 46% more than in 2025. More than 746 exhibitors have confirmed, up 19%, and … [Read more...] about FEINDEF 27 Is 94% Booked Seven Months Out as Spain’s Defence Show Grows 46%