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

French defence tech institution Harmattan AI is rising astir arsenic accelerated arsenic the supersonic planes of its caller backer. Founded successful 2024, the institution is present valued astatine $1.4 billion aft raising a $200 cardinal Series B circular led by Dassault Aviation, which is champion known for making the Rafale combatant jet.

Harmattan AI, which builds autonomy and mission-system bundle for defence aircraft, had already received beardown validation signals from the French and British ministries of defence successful its little than 2 years of existence. But this backing and the accompanying concern volition springiness caller wings to a institution that erstwhile described itself arsenic a “European Anduril.”

Like its American peer, Harmattan AI erstwhile aspired to overtake defence incumbents, which are besides known arsenic primes. But the institution is present besides acceptable to spouse with them — adjacent if it means nary longer calling itself “a next-generation defence prime.”

According to Harmattan’s latest property release, the present “defense exertion company” volition assistance Dassault Aviation signifier the aboriginal of aerial combat by processing embedded AI capabilities for its adjacent generations of Rafales and drones portion making definite this implementation is some sovereign and scalable.

The usage of drones successful Ukraine has been a wake-up telephone for NATO armies, creating tailwinds for defence tech startups that tin assistance them adapt. According to Harmattan AI, which precocious partnered with Russian drone shaper Skyeton, the backing volition assistance it widen its merchandise offering into caller domains and standard manufacturing of its platforms for drone interception, physics warfare and ISR [Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance].

French president Emmanuel Macron praised the announcement on societal media, calling it “excellent quality for our strategical autonomy, for the technological superiority of our equipped forces successful the tract of AI-activated defence drones, arsenic good arsenic for our economy.”

While important for France, this strategical play isn’t exclusive. Harmattan AI’s stated extremity of “empowering the equipped forces of wide democracies and their allies” leaves immoderate wiggle country for the institution to merchantability its exertion beyond France and Europe. The institution is already putting this into action: it volition exhibit astatine the World Defense Show successful Riyadh adjacent month, and is expanding its U.S. team. 

The institution claimed a caller record successful July erstwhile it was awarded a “multi-million-U.S. dollar declaration by a NATO government” for the transportation of AI-enabled tiny drones, conscionable 1 twelvemonth aft its founding. But according to its CEO and co-founder, Mouad M’Ghari, Harmattan AI is present “entering a caller signifier of scale” arsenic it seeks to “ramp-up manufacturing.”

In that aforesaid LinkedIn post, the entrepreneur disclosed that the caller backing comes successful summation to the $42 cardinal Harmattan AI had raised to date, including a effect circular led by Atlantic and a Series A led by FirstMark, with different backers including Motier Ventures and Sisyphus Ventures.

Meanwhile, Harmattan AI’s CTO and co-founder Martin de Gourcuff chose a antithetic enactment with governmental undertones. “As the planetary bid goes disconnected the rails,” helium wrote, “we are entering an epoch where, increasingly, powerfulness precedes law. A reversal of the civilized satellite we strive for. Harmattan AI exists to support our values and flip that narration back, arsenic powerfulness without instrumentality is conscionable specified violence.”