Harmattan AI, a Paris-based defence tech building autonomous drones for military use, has raised a $200m Series B.
The round was led by Dassault Aviation, a major French manufacturer of military aircraft and business jets, and brings Harmattan’s valuation to $1.4bn, confirming previous Sifted reporting.
Dassault and Harmattan have also announced a strategic partnership that will see the startup’s technology embedded in future air combat systems developed by Dassault.
“This partnership with Dassault Aviation marks a decisive step in the emergence of a new generation of autonomous defense systems,” said Harmattan cofounder Mouad M’Ghari. “By combining frontier AI with world-class military aviation expertise, we are shaping the future of collaborative air combat.”
The company, which launched in 2024, previously raised $42m in early-stage funding from investors including US VC FirstMark and German investor Atlantic VC.
What does Harmattan do?
Harmattan builds low-cost and high-volume autonomous drones, and is currently developing three products: a training-focused system, a surveillance drone and a drone designed to intercept weapons.
The startup has secured two programmes-of-record (PORs) with the French and UK ministries of defence.
In July last year the French defence ministry said it had ordered 1,000 drones from Harmattan; a few months later the company said it will deliver 3,000 systems as part of a “multi-million programme” led by the UK Ministry of Defence.
Harmattan says it is currently delivering “thousands” of systems each month. The Series B funding will be used to scale the startup’s manufacturing capabilities, as well as to expand the technology’s deployment to new military environments.
