Autonomous drone startup Quantum Systems raises $1.2 billion as investors pile into defense

Autonomous defense startup Quantum Systems raised $1.2 billion in a Series D funding round, the company announced on Thursday, giving it a valuation of around $8 billion on a post-money basis.

It comes amid a flurry of activity in the defense sector as investors race to throw cash behind a new generation of companies developing military technology.

Quantum Systems, which is developing unmanned systems for land, air and sea, said the funding round was co-led by Blackstone, Noteus, Airbus and Advent, with participation from Bond, Fidelity Management and Research Company, Balderton and HV Capital.

"Defense will be defined by autonomous systems that can operate together across domains in real time," Florian Seibel, co-CEO and co-founder of the German start-up, said in a statement.

"With Quantum Systems, we are building a next generation neo prime that has the potential to disrupt defense as we know it today." The company is profitable, Seibel added.

The new capital will be used to expand production capacity, strengthen supply chain resilience, scale delivery across allied markets, and fund continued investment in software and AI capabilities.

Defense tech companies have already raised a record $17.4 billion so far this year, according to Dealroom, far exceeding the $11.2 billion the sector picked up in 2025.

The biggest raises this year have come from startups in the U.S. Anduril picked up $5 billion in May, while Saronic Technologies and Shield AI raised $1.8 billion and $2 billion in March, respectively.

In Europe, Helsing is set to raise $1.2 billion at an $18 billion valuation, the Financial Times reported in May. Helsing has been approached for comment. Stark picked up 500 million euros ($572 million) in a funding round in June, led by Sequoia Capital and Peter Thiel's Founders Fund.

"A structural shift in the European defense market has created significant demand for capital to support the sector's development and the adoption of advanced technologies," said David Kaden, senior managing director at Blackstone.

Deployed in Ukraine, the company's systems executed over 19,000 missions in the country in 2025, it said. Quantum Systems has expanded its production footprint across Germany, Ukraine, the United States, Australia, Romania, the United Kingdom and the Baltics.