Harmattan AI raises $200M from Dassault Aviation, becomes defense unicorn at $1.4B valuation

Harmattan AI raises $200M Series B led by Dassault Aviation, becomes defense unicorn | TechCrunch

French defense tech company Harmattan AI is rising almost as fast as the supersonic planes of its new backer. Founded in 2024, the company is now valued at $1.4 billion after raising a $200 million Series B round led by Dassault Aviation, which is best known for making the Rafale fighter jet. Harmattan AI, which builds autonomy and mission-system software for defense aircraft, had already received strong validation signals from the French and British ministries of defense in its less than two years of existence. But this funding and the accompanying partnership will give new wings to a company that once described itself as a "European Anduril." Like its American peer, Harmattan AI once aspired to overtake defense incumbents, which are also known as primes. But the company is now also ready to partner with them -- even if it means no longer calling itself "a next-generation defense prime." According to Harmattan's latest press release, the now "defense technology company" will help Dassault Aviation shape the future of air combat by developing embedded AI capabilities for its next generations of Rafales and drones while making sure this implementation is both sovereign and scalable. The use of drones in Ukraine has been a wake-up call for NATO armies, creating tailwinds for defense tech startups that can help them adapt. According to Harmattan AI, which recently partnered with Russian drone maker Skyeton, the funding will help it extend its product offering into new domains and scale manufacturing of its platforms for drone interception, electronic warfare and ISR [Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance]. French president Emmanuel Macron praised the announcement on social media, calling it "excellent news for our strategic autonomy, for the technological superiority of our armed forces in the field of AI-activated defense drones, as well as for our economy." While important for France, this strategic play isn't exclusive. Harmattan AI's stated goal of "empowering the armed forces of liberal democracies and their allies" leaves some wiggle room for the company to sell its technology beyond France and Europe. The company is already putting this into action: it will exhibit at the World Defense Show in Riyadh next month, and is expanding its U.S. team. The company claimed a new record in July when it was awarded a "multi-million-U.S. dollar contract by a NATO government" for the delivery of AI-enabled small drones, just one year after its founding. But according to its CEO and co-founder, Mouad M'Ghari, Harmattan AI is now "entering a new phase of scale" as it seeks to "ramp-up manufacturing." In that same LinkedIn post, the entrepreneur disclosed that the new funding comes in addition to the $42 million Harmattan AI had raised to date, including a seed round led by Atlantic and a Series A led by FirstMark, with other backers including Motier Ventures and Sisyphus Ventures. Meanwhile, Harmattan AI's CTO and co-founder Martin de Gourcuff chose a different note with political undertones. "As the international order goes off the rails," he wrote, "we are entering an era where, increasingly, power precedes law. A reversal of the civilized world we strive for. Harmattan AI exists to protect our values and flip that relationship back, as power without law is just mere violence."

Dassault Aviation invests in French defence AI unicorn Harmattan

PARIS, Jan 12 - French aerospace group Dassault Aviation (AM.PA), opens new tab is leading a $200 million funding round in startup Harmattan AI as the defence sector races to leverage artificial intelligence amid intensifying geopolitical competition. The partnership will support the development of AI capabilities in Dassault Aviation's future air combat systems, particularly for the control of unmanned aerial systems, or drones, the companies said on Monday. Paris-based Harmattan AI was created last year to produce autonomous defence systems, including AI-enabled platforms, strike drones and surveillance drones. DEAL IS 'EXCELLENT NEWS' SAYS FRANCE'S MACRON Harmattan said in a post on LinkedIn that the Series B funding round valued it at $1.4 billion. "This is excellent news for our strategic autonomy, for the technological superiority of our military in the area of AI-enabled defence drones as well as for our economy," French President Emmanuel Macron said in a post on X. Drone technology has evolved rapidly in recent years, particularly due to their extensive use by both sides in the war in Ukraine. The shift towards the use of AI-augmented systems has become a crucial front in defence technology as companies rush to bolster Europe's armed forces in the face of the threat from Russia and the need for more autonomy from the United States. Dassault is working on a new version of its Rafale fighter jet, the F5, expected in 2030, as well as a combat drone under the "unmanned combat air system" program, which is intended to fly with the Rafale F5. Artificial intelligence is also increasingly central for the competitiveness of defence companies. AI tools are being developed to support pilots' handling of high volumes of information and to help prioritise threats, as well as to equip autonomous drones flying alongside fighter jets. Dassault signed an agreement in June with France's agency for AI in defence, AMIAD, to research air combat use cases and in November announced a strategic partnership with French group Thales (TCFP.PA), opens new tab to develop sovereign AI for air combat. Writing by Florence Loeve; Editing by Joe Bavier Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

French fighter company Dassault invests $200M in autonomous drone startup Harmattan AI - SiliconANGLE

French fighter company Dassault invests $200M in autonomous drone startup Harmattan AI A French startup called Harmattan AI that's building autonomous drones for European military forces has raised $200 million in Series B funding today. The round was led by the fighter aircraft and business jet manufacturer Dassault Aviation SA, and brings the company's total amount raised to $242 million at a valuation of $1.4 billion. Harmattan AI is a developer of low-cost and high-volume autonomous drones and the artificial intelligence software required to pilot them. It's currently working on three separate products, including a military surveillance drone, a drone that's designed to intercept weapons, and a training-focused system. The company, which once described itself as a "European Anduril," in reference to the U.S. defense technology startup Anduril Industries Inc., has so far secured two contracts with the French and U.K. ministries of defence. In July, it announced that the French military had ordered 1,000 autonomous drones, and a few months later it secured an even bigger win when it said the U.K. government had agreed to acquire 3,000 systems as part of a broader "multi-million programme." Much like Anduril, Harmattan AI once held ambitions to disrupt the defense technology industry and perhaps even displace legacy aircraft manufacturers, but it now says it's ready to partner with them. The company plans to help Dassault, best known for its Rafale fighter jets, develop embedded AI capabilities for the next generation of its aircraft. In addition, it will also work with its new backer on the development of new drone systems. "Dassault Aviation brings unmatched experience in combat aviation systems and long term system integration," said Harmattan co-founder and CEO Mouad M'Ghari in a post on LinkedIn. "Harmattan AI brings a strong experience in deploying autonomy and artificial intelligence into flying platforms, with a proven ability to execute military programs and deliver at scale." The startup said it's already building "thousands" of drones each month, and the money from today's round will enable it to scale up its manufacturing capabilities and potentially expand its technology to new military applications. The emergence of drone warfare in Ukraine has forced North Atlantic Treaty Organization members to rethink how they wage war and led to a lot of interest in autonomous technologies. Harmattan AI, which has previously collaborated with the Ukrainian drone manufacturer Skyeton, the money from today's round will enable it to scale up its manufacturing capabilities and expand its technology to new domains such as drone interception, electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The funding announcement got the attention of French President Emmanuel Macron, who hailed the deal as "excellent news for our strategic autonomy, for the technological superiority of our armed forces in the field of AI-activated defense drones, as well as our economy." While Macron is clearly appreciative of what Harmattan AI is doing, the startup plans to cater to a much wider audience, with one of its stated goals being to "empower the armed forces of liberal democracies and their allies." In line with this, the company is planning to exhibit its drone systems at the World Defense Show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, next month, where senior U.S. military officials will no doubt be in attendance. Harmattan AI Chief Technology Officer Martin de Gourcuff said in a separate LinkedIn post that there's a lot of urgency in his company's work. "As the international order goes off the rails, we are entering an era where, increasingly, power precedes law," he said. "A reversal of the civilized world we strive for. Harmattan AI exists to protect our values and flip that relationship back, as power without law is just mere violence."

Dassault Aviation Joins Harmattan AI's $200 Million Fundraising Round

As part of this collaboration, the French company is participating in the $200 million Series B fundraising round. Harmattan AI is experiencing significant global growth and has already been awarded several programs by the French and British Ministries of Defence, with several thousand autonomous robotic systems delivered. The French company, dedicated to the defense and AI sector, designs autonomous and expendable defense systems (low-cost and mass-produced), an approach inspired by recent needs observed on modern battlefields, such as in Ukraine. Thanks to the raised funds, the company will be able to expand the deployment of its AI-integrated missions to new theaters of operations, broaden its product offerings to new domains, and increase its production capacity.