Topic: military contracts
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Microsoft Engineer's Mass Resignation Email After 13 Years Goes Viral
A longtime principal software engineer at Microsoft resigned over ethical concerns, citing the company's military contracts with Israel and accusing it of enabling human rights violations. Microsoft suspended some cloud services for an Israeli military unit after an investigation confirmed its pl...
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Space Force seeks up to $30 billion in rocket launch contracts
The U.S. Space Force has tripled the ceiling value of its National Security Space Launch Phase 3 contract from $5.6 billion to $17 billion, signaling a massive increase in demand for military satellite launches. The NSSL program is divided into two lanes: Lane 1 for risk-tolerant medium-lift and ...
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Castelion hits $13B valuation with $1B raise for hypersonic weapons
Castelion raised $1 billion ($800 million equity plus a $250 million credit line) at a $13 billion valuation, led by JPMorganChase's Strategic Investment Group, Andreessen Horowitz, and Carlyle, with T. Rowe Price as a notable new public-markets investor. The startup, founded by former SpaceX exe...
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Defense Startup Mach Industries Secures $100M Led by Khosla, Bedrock
Defense tech startup Mach Industries raised $100M in funding, led by Khosla Ventures and Bedrock Capital, valuing the company at $470M. Founded by 19-year-old Ethan Thornton, Mach has grown rapidly to 140 employees and specializes in advanced weapons systems like drones and gliders. The company i...
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Maritime security startup Kraken raises $175M, becomes unicorn
Kraken Technology Group, a British manufacturer of uncrewed surface vessels, raised $175 million in a Series B round, achieving a billion-dollar valuation and becoming Europe's latest defence unicorn. The company builds modular, dual-use robot boats that are already deployed in active conflicts, ...
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Palmer Luckey's Anduril Debuts EagleEye MR Helmet
Anduril Industries has launched the EagleEye mixed-reality helmet system, integrating AI and sensors with its Lattice platform to enhance soldier capabilities through real-time data and command tools. The system improves situational awareness by displaying live video, detecting threats with rear ...
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Can Anthropic Earn Cybersecurity's Trust?
Anthropic initially built trust by championing AI safety with a voluntary Responsible Scaling Policy (RSP), positioning itself as a conscientious industry leader. The company later introduced ambiguity by revising its RSP to a more competitive, relative safety stance and faced scrutiny after laun...
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Pentagon’s AI urgency fuels $61M raise for Smack Technologies
Smack Technologies, an Austin-based defense AI startup, raised a $61 million Series B round in 2026, its second raise of the year, driven by surging U.S. military demand that outpaces its hiring capacity. The company’s products,Omega, a fires-planning software using reinforcement learning, and Al...
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Anduril's Autonomous Weapons Face Setbacks in Testing and Combat
Anduril's autonomous weaponry faced operational failures in multiple tests, including drone boat malfunctions during a Navy exercise and a counterdrone system trial that caused a wildfire. The defense startup, founded in 2017, secured $2.5 billion in funding and a $30.5 billion valuation, with si...
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Gecko Robotics Secures Record U.S. Navy Robotics Contract
The U.S. Navy has awarded a major contract to Gecko Robotics, valued up to $71 million, to deploy crawling robots for advanced ship inspections, aiming to enhance fleet readiness and reduce costly downtime. The robots create a detailed digital twin of each vessel, enabling predictive maintenance ...
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Pentagon, Anthropic Nearly Aligned Despite Trump's Claim
Anthropic is legally challenging the Pentagon's designation of it as a national security risk, arguing the government's case is based on factual misunderstandings and claims never raised in prior negotiations. Company executives submitted sworn declarations stating Anthropic never demanded an app...
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Anthropic Defends Itself Against US Military 'Risk' Label
The U.S. Department of Defense designated Anthropic as a supply-chain risk, prohibiting military contractors from working with the AI company after negotiations over ethical use restrictions for its technology broke down. Anthropic is legally challenging the designation, arguing it sets a dangero...
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Pentagon AI Dispute: Anthropic Refuses to Back Down
The Pentagon is threatening to use extraordinary legal powers, like the Defense Production Act, to compel Anthropic to grant unrestricted military access to its advanced AI models, setting a major precedent for government intervention. The standoff centers on Anthropic's refusal to allow its tech...
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