With Navy exercise, unmanned surface vessel firm Saronic sees ‘next step’

With Navy exercise, unmanned surface vessel firm Saronic sees ‘next step’
With Navy exercise, unmanned surface vessel firm Saronic sees ‘next step’

“We are in active conversations with many of the stakeholders who are relevant to things like Replicator and we’re excited to collaborate with the government when the time is right,” Saronic exec Rob Lehman told Breaking Defense.

Avoiding Rashomon with defense venture funding: DoD, VCs need to tell same story

Avoiding Rashomon with defense venture funding: DoD, VCs need to tell same story
Avoiding Rashomon with defense venture funding: DoD, VCs need to tell same story

Masao Dahlgren in this op-ed offers reasons why venture capitalists and the Pentagon aren’t yet on the same page, and calls for them to work together so that both can reap the benefits.

Palmer Luckey on Anduril’s growth plans, a future IPO and how ChatGPT has impacted AI

Palmer Luckey on Anduril’s growth plans, a future IPO and how ChatGPT has impacted AI
Palmer Luckey on Anduril’s growth plans, a future IPO and how ChatGPT has impacted AI

“I can’t really imagine a world where something like a Joint Strike Fighter program goes to a privately traded company,” Luckey told Breaking Defense. “I can’t imagine that ever happening.”

In race with China, SOCOM must leverage private equity, say experts and VCs

In race with China, SOCOM must leverage private equity, say experts and VCs
In race with China, SOCOM must leverage private equity, say experts and VCs

“We are witnessing a cultural shift. Engineers want to work on problems for the DoD. We’re going to have an explosion of defense technology. Capital is following the engineers and following DoD opening of the aperture who want innovation,” said Alex Moore, partner at 8VC.

It’s time for new incentives for defense primes to invest in startups

It’s time for new incentives for defense primes to invest in startups
It’s time for new incentives for defense primes to invest in startups

“If we are to meet the innovation goals of the NDS, we must incentivize the primes to move beyond the short-term partnership model and encourage them to form more holistic relationships with promising early-stage companies, including investment into operating businesses,” writes Chip Walter.

Raytheon’s venture capital arm makes big bet on commercial hypersonic plane startup

Raytheon’s venture capital arm makes big bet on commercial hypersonic plane startup
Raytheon’s venture capital arm makes big bet on commercial hypersonic plane startup

An investment into a startup like Hermeus that is looking at commercial hypersonic tech could lead to leap-ahead approaches that benefit defense applications.

US space industry ‘tactically strong’ but lacks long-term investment, study finds

US space industry ‘tactically strong’ but lacks long-term investment, study finds
US space industry ‘tactically strong’ but lacks long-term investment, study finds

Despite investments of nearly $200 billion in commercial space since 2012, the US will lose what the authors paint as a vital race with China without more strategic vision, study sponsored by DoD’s Defense Innovation Unit says.

Aerospace Industrial Base Can’t Handle The Future: Mitchell Institute

Aerospace Industrial Base Can’t Handle The Future: Mitchell Institute
Aerospace Industrial Base Can’t Handle The Future: Mitchell Institute

The F-35 aside, the report recommends that the Air Force “resist future participation in any joint aircraft procurement or development programs.”

Eye On JADC2, Lockheed Explores Unique 5G-SATCOM Network

Eye On JADC2, Lockheed Explores Unique 5G-SATCOM Network
Eye On JADC2, Lockheed Explores Unique 5G-SATCOM Network

It’s sort of like we’re exclusively dating. We agreed to not see other people right now but we haven’t committed to anything else yet,” explained one Lockheed Martin official.

Lockheed Martin Ventures Scouts Next-Gen AI/ML Tech

Lockheed Martin Ventures Scouts Next-Gen AI/ML Tech
Lockheed Martin Ventures Scouts Next-Gen AI/ML Tech

“There’s a massive scramble for autonomy engineers, software — you name it,” says Chris Moran, Lockheed Martin executive director.

Startups Need Free Data To Work With Army: Venture Capitalists

Startups Need Free Data To Work With Army: Venture Capitalists
Startups Need Free Data To Work With Army: Venture Capitalists

Because open-source software lacks the same kind of cyber certification that comes with more sensitive information, it is fertile ground for start-ups looking to work on military data, provided each service makes an open-source library available.

Space AQ Council Eyes Helping Space Startups Crack CARES Act

Space AQ Council Eyes Helping Space Startups Crack CARES Act
Space AQ Council Eyes Helping Space Startups Crack CARES Act

“In space, particularly, we’ve got to have a model that is very different than the one we used the last century,” Roper summed up. “We’re going to need to evaluate companies that have the potential to commercialize successfully as a delineator of who we partner with.”

Air Force To Pump New Tech Startups With $10M Awards

Air Force To Pump New Tech Startups With $10M Awards
Air Force To Pump New Tech Startups With $10M Awards

The Air Force’s new investment strategy is designed to “catalyze the commercial market by bringing our military market to bear,” says Roper.

Techstars Grooms 10 Tech Startups For Air Force

Techstars Grooms 10 Tech Startups For Air Force
Techstars Grooms 10 Tech Startups For Air Force

Of 20 commercial startups the Techstars Air Force Accelerator has helped, 19 have gone on to win a collective $20-plus million in DoD Small Business Innovation Research contracts.