News and analysis
Funding rounds, valuations, Department of Defense (DoD) programs and the technology reshaping US defense.
AFWERX SBIR Open Topic in 2026: How to Apply Now That Topics Are Focused
The $75,000 Open Topic is giving way to focused topics with larger awards. Current Air Force windows, amounts, eligibility and the ten steps from SAM.gov to a signed contract.
Anduril Stock: Is Anduril Public, When Is the IPO, and Can You Buy Shares?
Anduril is private and has no ticker. What its founders and CEO have said about an IPO, the signals to watch, and how private shares change hands before a listing.
Anduril Valuation History: Every Funding Round from 2017 to 2026
From a Founders Fund seed to a $61 billion Series H: how Anduril's valuation grew, who led each round, what revenue backed it, and where the reported numbers disagree.
Blue UAS Cleared List 2026: Every Cleared Drone by Manufacturer, and How the DCMA Process Works
The Pentagon's list of approved small drones moved from DIU to DCMA and now also shields platforms from the FCC's foreign drone ban. Here is who is on it and how to get listed.
Castelion Valuation and Funding History: From a $14.2 Million Seed to $13 Billion
How the Blackbeard hypersonic missile maker went from a 2023 seed to a $13 billion Series C, who invested, what the contracts are, and what is still undisclosed.
Counter-Drone Companies in the USA: Startups, Primes and Public Companies Behind US Counter-UAS
Who builds the radars, guns, interceptors, lasers and microwaves that stop drones, who just won the Army's $4.15 billion counter-UAS awards, and which counter-drone companies are publicly traded.
US Defense Tech Unicorns in 2026: Every Startup Valued at $1 Billion or More, Ranked
A sourced ranking of the 24 private US defense tech companies with a $1 billion-plus valuation from a funding round, plus the reported deals and estimates that do not make the cut.
Defense Innovation Unit Commercial Solutions Opening: How to Apply, Step by Step
How the CSO works under its March 2026 amendment: the solution brief format, how pitches are scored, timelines, the production follow-on, and what is open as of November 14, 2026.
Drone Dominance Program Explained: Gauntlet I and II Results, Every Vendor by Phase, and What Phase 3 Buys
The Pentagon's $1.1 billion bet on cheap attack drones runs on public leaderboards. Here is who won each Gauntlet, how many drones they got, and what the next round pays.
Golden Dome Companies and Contracts: Every Award, the 12 Interceptor Firms, and What It Will Cost
From SpaceX and Lockheed Martin to startups Anduril, True Anomaly and Turion Space: who has won Golden Dome work so far, and why the cost estimates range from $175 billion to $1.2 trillion.
Military Drone Manufacturers in the USA (2026): Startups, Primes and Public Companies
Eighteen US companies building drones for the Pentagon, separated into startups, primes and publicly traded firms, with each one's latest contract or selection and how the military now buys drones.
Saronic Valuation History, Stock and IPO: Every Funding Round from Series A to the $9.25 Billion Series D
The Austin autonomous shipbuilder went from a $1 billion valuation in 2024 to $9.25 billion in 2026. Every round, who invested, and whether you can buy Saronic stock.
SBIR Phase 1 and Phase 2 Award Amounts in 2026: Limits, Durations and DoD Examples
The SBA ceilings, what the Air Force and NSF actually pay, why the old AFWERX $75,000 Phase I is fading, and the matched funding that sits above Phase II.
SBIR Reauthorization 2026: What the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act Changed
Public Law 119-83 restarted SBIR and STTR through 2031, added security screening, $30 million Strategic Breakthrough awards and proposal caps. Status as of November 14, 2026.
Shield AI Valuation History, Stock and IPO: From $1.25 Billion to $28.8 Billion
Every Shield AI funding round with amounts, valuations and leads, what the Echodyne deal changes, and why there is still no Shield AI stock to buy.