Drone startup Quantum Systems raises $1.2 billion amid defense boom
“Quantum Systems” will be at its stand at Berlin ExpoCenter Airport as part of the International Aerospace Fair (ILA). In the foreground is a model of Quantum Systems’ Pulse P19 multi-purpose flight system.
Sebastián Christoph | Picture Alliance | Getty Images
Autonomous defense startup Quantum Systems announced Thursday that it has raised $1.2 billion in a Series D financing round, giving it a valuation of approximately $8 billion on a post-money basis.
This comes amid activity in the defense sector, where investors are racing to throw cash behind next-generation companies developing military technology.
Quantum Systems, which develops unmanned systems for land, air and sea, said that the financing round was jointly conducted by Blackstone, Noteus, Airbus and Advent, with the participation of Bond, Fidelity Management and Research Company, Balderton and HV Capital.
“Defense will be defined by autonomous systems that can work together in real time across different domains,” Florian Seibel, co-founder and CEO of the German start-up, said in a statement. he said.
“With Quantum Systems, we are building a next generation neo prime that has the potential to disrupt defenses as we know them today.” Seibel added that the company is profitable.
The new capital will be used to expand manufacturing capacity, strengthen supply chain flexibility, scale delivery in partner markets, and fund ongoing investments in software and AI capabilities.
According to Dealroom, defense technology companies have raised a record $17.4 billion so far this year; This figure is well above the $11.2 billion the industry collected in 2025.
The biggest raises this year came from startups in the US. Anduril raised $5 billion in May, while Saronic Technologies and Shield AI raised $1.8 billion and $2 billion, respectively, in March.
Helsing plans to raise $1.2 billion in Europe at an $18 billion valuation, according to the Financial Times reported In May. Helsing has been reached for comment. Stark received 500 million euros ($572 million) in June from a financing round led by Sequoia Capital and Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund.
“Structural change in the European defense market has created significant demand for capital to support the development of the sector and the adoption of advanced technologies,” said David Kaden, senior managing director at Blackstone.
It was stated that the company’s systems deployed in Ukraine performed more than 19,000 missions in the country in 2025. Quantum Systems has expanded its production area to Germany, Ukraine, the United States, Australia, Romania, the United Kingdom and the Baltic countries.
