French defense tech companyHarmattan AIis rising almost as fast as the supersonic planes of its new backer. Founded in 2024, the company is nowvalued at $1.4 billionafter 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 oncedescribed itselfas 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 longercalling 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.
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 willexhibitat the World Defense Show in Riyadh next month, and is expandingits U.S. team.
The company claimeda new recordin July when it wasawardeda “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 sameLinkedIn 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 Gourcuffchosea 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.”
Source: Techcrunch
