Paris-based defence technology startup Gallium Defense has raised €7.1 million in a seed funding round co-led by Keen Venture Partners and 360 Capital, with participation from Omnes Capital and Polytechnique Ventures. The announcement coincides with the company’s emergence from stealth as it advances its drone detection radar technology towards commercial production.
Founded in April 2026 by Eric Fournier, Florian Lemoine and Robin Mandel, Gallium Defense develops software-defined radar systems for military organisations and operators of critical infrastructure. Fournier serves as CEO, Lemoine as CTO and Mandel as COO. The founding team brings experience from organisations including Boston Consulting Group, NATO, France’s Directorate General of Armaments, Thales and Safran.
The company’s first product, the GDS-10, is an X-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar designed to detect and track small aerial threats, including Class 1 drones and first-person-view (FPV) drones. Its architecture combines modular hardware, software-defined processing and AI-based capabilities.
According to the company, the GDS-10 is designed to detect drones at distances of up to 10 kilometres, with 360-degree azimuth coverage and 90-degree elevation coverage. The system is also being developed to track multiple targets simultaneously, including drone swarms, and operate in challenging weather and electronic interference conditions.
Gallium Defense is developing two versions of the radar, one intended for critical infrastructure protection and another for military applications. Its engineering approach uses commercially available electronic components and embedded computing hardware to reduce manufacturing costs and support production at scale.
The company plans to use the new capital to industrialise production of its initial radar systems, expand its workforce, continue training its AI models and conduct demonstrations for civilian and military operators internationally.
Gallium Defense has begun moving the GDS-10 into outdoor field trials as part of its development programme. The company expects to open commercial orders in the first quarter of 2027, with further testing and operator demonstrations planned ahead of its initial deliveries.
