Fortem raises $50M Series B for counter-drone tech as Lockheed backs kill chain
What's the deal? Fortem Technologies, a Utah-based counter-drone startup, has closed a $50 million Series B led by an earlier $25 million investment from Lockheed Martin. Drone component maker Unusual MachinesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and undisclosed strategic and institutional investors joined the round.
What's the endgame? Founded in 2016, Fortem builds the full counter-drone kill chain — radar sensors, command-and-control software, and autonomous interceptor drones — packaged in its "SkyDome" family of counter-UAS tech. Its TrueView radar detects and tracks low-flying drones, while its DroneHunter interceptor fires a net to entangle targets rather than destroy them, cutting collateral damage.
Why now? Demand is climbing on the back of drone incursions along the US southern border and conflict abroad. Chief business officer Charlie O'Connell said the company "really just needed the cash to grow instantly," and the round ended up oversubscribed.
The Series B valued Fortem "under a billion dollars," O'Connell said, though he called the figure "very significant."
Traction: Fortem's recent wins include a spot on a DHS counter-UAS contract with a ceiling above $1 billion — where it was the only small business selected — a multi-million-dollar deal to protect FIFA World Cup venues, and a three-year, $18 million US Army contract to defend installations.
O'Connell said Fortem is "the only kinetic countermeasure authorized in the US" for counter-UAS, adding that after Lockheed's April investment the company began hiring engineers and buying long-lead items "just anticipating future growth."
The signal: The $50 million round sits in the top quarter of comparable deals, a marker of how fast money is flowing into counter-drone defence. "This is not Day One of drone warfare or counter-UAS, but it's still week one," O'Connell said — pointing to demand he expects to run well beyond active conflict zones.
Read more: tectonicdefense.com
Image credit: The National Guard
