Askari Defense

Askari Defense was selected for this year’s Black Flag 100. Out of over 1,500 nominated companies, only 100 made the final list. Our mission is simple: build practical, operator-focused defense technology for a battlefield that is changing by the day. Cheap aerial threats are no longer edge cases. They are a defining feature of modern conflict. Askari is building for that reality. Grateful to the founders who put our name forward, and to Black Flag for highlighting teams working on hard, consequential problems. See the full list: https://blackflag.vc/100-2 #AskariDefense #CounterUAS

Anybody can build manually piloted FPV interceptors. Askari is different. We’re building fully autonomous, fire-and-forget interceptors designed to reduce operator burden and reliably engage targets in real-world conditions. Below is onboard footage from recent Rift Alpha testing. This autonomy gap is where the real differentiation exists. #AskariDefense #CounterUAS

Askari has been selected as a semifinalist in the xTech|Adaptive Strike competition. We’re heading to the National Training Center to participate in the Soldier Exercise, where our interceptors will be put into a realistic training environment alongside the operators they’re built for. Our focus is not on complexity, but on capability that delivers when it counts. We’re building a dismounted counter-UAS solution that is quick to employ, intuitive to use, and effective against small UAS threats in close-range scenarios. We appreciate the opportunity to work with the US Army, ASA(ALT), and others pushing practical capabilities forward. Looking forward to the next phase. #AskariDefense #CounterUAS #ArmyFUZE #xTech #ArmyPIT #ArmyInnovation

Over the past six months, Askari Defense has achieved several meaningful design breakthroughs through rapid iteration and close attention to real end-user needs. Askari is pleased to announce that it is supporting a funded, limited-scope evaluation and training effort for a U.S. government customer under contract and looks forward to incorporating forthcoming user feedback into future iterations of the system. #AskariDefense #CounterUAS #Defense #NationalSecurity

Rift Alpha during target practice testing. In a space where claims, slick sheets, and designs are easy to produce, Askari focuses on proving performance in the real world. This testing uses surrogate targets to validate core system behavior, identify edge cases, and rapidly iterate toward reliable, fieldable capability. As low-cost drones continue to reshape the threat environment, demand for scalable, attritable interceptors is accelerating across defense and security sectors. The challenge now isn’t just building interceptors. It’s building ones that can be produced and fielded at scale. #AskariDefense #CounterUAS #Defense #NationalSecurity

Rift Alpha is Askari’s hand-launched, fire-and-forget interceptor, purpose-built for counter-UAS. Designed for attrition and immediate use in the field. #AskariDefense

Counter-UAS shouldn’t require a bulky system. It should fit the operator. Introducing Rift Bravo, a fire-and-forget capability at the individual level. #AskariDefense

Last year, Askari Defense supported a funded U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science & Technology Directorate (DHS S&T) R&D effort. The effort has concluded, and the team is excited to pursue future work focused on transitioning capable systems into the hands of operators who need them. #AskariDefense #CounterUAS

A handheld drone interceptor you can carry into the field. Deployed in weeks, not years. Costs less than the drone it kills. That's Askari Defense and they're coming to #MeridianForge. June 11–13, Askari will be showcasing this tech on the floor at the Forge — the same tech trusted by SOCOM, DHS, and the U.S. Army. The future of defense isn't billion-dollar programs. It's companies like this. Join us in Southern Pines: https://lnkd.in/e54dCynC #DefenseTechnology #Security #DefenseInnovation

Daily Hard Tech Headlines: - Hybron secured a $25M seed round. The El Segundo startup develops next-generation composite manufacturing, enabling 100x faster production at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods. Marque Ventures led the round. - Askari Defense, the Atlanta-based C-UAS startup, has raised a $1.7M pre-seed round. The startup has developed products such as a man-portable, 3D-printed drone interceptor and a hand-launched, foldable, man-packable interceptor, the first targeting Group 1 and 2 drones and the second targeting Group 1. Investors include Knoll Ventures, Brickyard, Blackwing, Georgia Tech Foundation, Inc., Garrett Langley, Overline, and Teamworthy Ventures. - U.S. Department of Agriculture is deploying a nationwide initiative to test and validate AgTech in real-world farm and ranch environments across the United States. - Mariana Minerals has partnered with Pronto to deploy autonomous hauling capabilities at its copper mine and refinery in Utah. - GE Vernova and Hitachi are deploying up to $40B to develop small modular reactors across Tennessee and Alabama through their joint venture, GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy. -  Foundry Robotics has raised a $19M seed round. The San Francisco startup is building robotic systems for manufacturing assembly. Investors include Khosla Ventures, Hanabi Capital, Red Glass Ventures, and Zero Shot Fund. - Project Caprock has broken ground. The 540 MW data center in Lubbock, Texas is being developed by Aligned Data Centers. - Rain Technology Solutions completed a live exercise to test its battlefield medical data platform, tracking critical health metrics across tactical networks for operational readiness, with goTenna enabling mesh communications, Iridium enabling satellite connectivity to the SIF TAK server, and sensors from Samsung Electronics, NIRSense Inc, and Mayo Clinic providing real-time physiological data (pictured below).