French defense technology startup Harmattan AI has vaulted into the top tier of European military innovators, securing a $200 million Series B round led by Dassault Aviation and reaching a valuation of $1.4 billion. The deal not only crowns Harmattan AI as a newly minted “defense unicorn,” it also signals how quickly the defense establishment is moving to integrate artificial intelligence into next-generation air combat systems.
Founded in 2024, Harmattan AI develops autonomy and mission-system software for defense aircraft and drones. In less than two years, it has gone from an ambitious newcomer to a strategic partner for some of Europe’s most powerful defense institutions. The French and British ministries of defense have already validated its technology through early contracts and pilot programs, but the Dassault-led round marks a new level of endorsement.
Dassault Aviation, the storied manufacturer of the Rafale fighter jet and a central pillar of France’s aerospace industry, is not just a financial backer. The two companies are entering a deep industrial and technological partnership. Harmattan AI will work with Dassault to embed AI capabilities into future Rafale variants and unmanned systems, with a focus on sovereign, scalable solutions that keep critical technologies under European control.
Harmattan AI initially branded itself as a “European Anduril,” referencing the U.S. defense tech company that has challenged traditional defense primes with software-first, rapidly iterated systems. Like its American counterpart, Harmattan AI once positioned itself as a disruptor aiming to outpace incumbents. Over time, however, its stance has evolved. Rather than trying to replace the primes, it is now positioning itself as the software and autonomy layer that can supercharge them.
That shift is reflected in its language. The company no longer calls itself a “next-generation defense prime,” instead adopting the more collaborative label of “defense technology company.” The Dassault partnership crystallizes this new posture: Harmattan AI will plug into existing industrial programs rather than attempt to build a full-stack defense conglomerate from scratch.
The strategic context for this deal is impossible to ignore. The war in Ukraine has transformed how militaries think about air power, autonomy and attrition. Cheap, expendable drones, loitering munitions and electronic warfare have become central to the battlefield. For NATO countries, the conflict has been a live demonstration of how quickly the balance of power can shift when software-driven systems are deployed at scale.
Harmattan AI is positioning itself at the heart of this shift. The company is developing platforms for drone interception, electronic warfare and ISR — intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance — all domains where AI can dramatically improve detection, targeting and decision-making. The new funding will be used to expand its product portfolio into additional mission areas and, crucially, to scale manufacturing of its hardware and integrated systems.
The company has already claimed a notable milestone: just one year after its founding, it secured what it described as a multi-million U.S. dollar contract from a NATO government for AI-enabled small drones. That early win helped demonstrate that Harmattan AI could move from concept to deployment at a pace more typical of consumer tech than traditional defense procurement.
Co-founder and CEO Mouad M’Ghari has framed the new round as the beginning of a “phase of scale,” emphasizing the need to ramp up production capacity to meet growing demand from allied militaries. For a company that has so far been known primarily for its software and autonomy stack, the emphasis on manufacturing underscores a broader trend: modern defense startups are increasingly full-stack, combining AI, sensors, communications and physical platforms.
The political establishment has taken notice. French president Emmanuel Macron publicly welcomed the funding and partnership, describing it as a boost to France’s strategic autonomy, the technological edge of its armed forces in AI-enabled defense drones, and the broader national economy. For Paris, Harmattan AI fits neatly into a long-running push to ensure that Europe does not become dependent on foreign suppliers for critical defense technologies, particularly in AI and advanced computing.
Yet Harmattan AI’s ambitions extend beyond France and even beyond Europe. The company’s stated mission is to “empower the armed forces of liberal democracies and their allies,” a formulation that leaves room for cooperation with partners across NATO and in other aligned regions. It is already acting on that global vision, expanding its U.S. presence and planning to showcase its systems at major international defense exhibitions, including the World Defense Show in Riyadh.
This outward-looking posture reflects a broader realignment in the defense tech ecosystem. Startups like Harmattan AI are building products with exportability in mind from day one, designing modular systems that can be adapted to different regulatory regimes, operational doctrines and platform requirements. At the same time, they must navigate complex political and ethical questions about where and how their technologies are deployed.
Harmattan AI’s leadership has not shied away from those questions. In a public statement, co-founder and CTO Martin de Gourcuff framed the company’s mission in stark geopolitical terms. As he sees it, the international order is entering a phase in which “power precedes law,” a reversal of the ideal in which legal norms constrain the use of force. Harmattan AI, he argued, exists to help restore that balance by ensuring that democratic states retain enough power to uphold the rule of law.
