Welcome back to the third edition of The New Defense Post!
As always, feel free to reach out to Benjamin or me (Paolo) with any questions, suggestions, or ideas.
In this edition, we’ll cover:
In the Hot Seat: Jan-Hendrik Boelens, Co-Founder & CEO of Alpine Eagle, on building fully aerial counter-drone systems, raising from top European defense investors, and how to scale internationally as a defense-tech startup.
Spotlights: China’s large-scale military parade showcases advanced technology; Quantum Systems targets a €200–300mn raise at a valuation of up to €3bn; Fernride secures fresh funding to bring its autonomous logistics technology to European defense forces.
Fundraising News of the Week: Fernride, Trypillian, and Offset Labs secure new funding rounds.
Bonus Section: We’ll take a look at one of the big recent debates in drone warfare and break down the pros and cons of fiber-optic FPV.
In the Hot Seat
Alpine Eagle Sentinel Drone. Photo Credit: Alpine Eagle
We sat down with Jan-Hendrik Boelens, Co-Founder and CEO of Alpine Eagle. Previously, he served as chief engineer at Airbus Helicopters and as a CTO at Volocopter and Quantum Systems.
Alpine Eagle builds fully aerial counter-drone systems that keep the entire kill chain—sensing, command, and effectors—in the sky. From detecting low-flying FPV threats that ground radars easily miss to intercepting high-altitude surveillance drones, their platforms offer a bird’s-eye view and faster, more flexible response than ground-based alternatives.
The company recently raised €10.25mn in seed funding, led by IQ Capital with participation from HTGF, Expeditions Fund, Sentris Capital, General Catalyst, and HCVC.
In our conversation, we explored the pivotal moments that shaped the company, their approach to defense procurement, the fundraising landscape for defense and dual-use tech in Europe, and how to scale internationally as a European defense-tech startup.
Spotlights
1. China’s Large-Scale Military Parade: Drones, Lasers, and Hypersonic Missiles
Advanced UAVs showcased during the parade. Photo Credit: China Television
Underwater drones: Multiple types of torpedo-like autonomous vehicles have been revealed. They're still somewhat of a mystery in terms of how exactly they'd be deployed and used, but their potential to disrupt anti-submarine operations appears strong. If they can be produced cheaply and at scale, they could pose a serious threat.
Advanced UAVs: China has shown four new combat UAVs at the parade. Little is known about them. They ranged from totally new shapes of what seem to be Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) to lookalikes of well-known Western models, plus big long-range drones for surveillance and strikes.
Counter UAV tech: China also showcased a comprehensive range of anti-drone systems, including high-powered lasers and microwave weapons. We saw multiple types of laser technologies, from large naval-based ones to smaller ones mounted on IFVs. Microwave tech also appeared mounted on trucks. What was shown was a very comprehensive suite of systems to counter UAVs at scale, or at least the plan to develop it further.
Hypersonic missiles: The missile lineup featured several hypersonic anti-ship types—YJ-15, YJ-17, YJ-19, and YJ-20—that have reportedly been tested against mock U.S. aircraft carriers. These systems, which can launch from land, sea, or air, combine speed and manoeuvrability to shrink the response time of the opponents.
🗣 Mick Ryan, a retired Australian army major general: “Long gone are the days when China was reliant on Russia or other foreign systems. This level of indigenous capacity infers high levels of sustainability in any future conflict” (AP News)
📰 Our Take: This isn’t just a show of force—it’s a signal of where China’s military priorities are heading. The focus on autonomous systems, directed-energy weapons, and hypersonic missiles suggests a long-term strategy to step up the threat level and get ready for a potential confrontation with NATO.
The tech isn’t all proven yet, but the direction is clear: cheaper, faster, harder to defend against.
2. Quantum Systems Targets €200–300MN Raise at up to €3BN Valuation
Vector drone. Photo Credit: Quantum Systems
Quantum Systems—backed by Peter Thiel and supplying Ukraine with drones—aims to close a €200–300mm round by end-2025, valuing the company as high as €3bn.
Revenue is forecast to jump to ≥€300mn in 2025 (from €110mn in 2024); in May, it raised €160mn led by Balderton, with investors including Thiel, Porsche, and Notion Capital.
🗣 Bloomberg: Quantum Systems’ spokesperson declined to comment on the fundraising. (Bloomberg)
📰 Our Take: Quantum Systems’ rise has been meteoric since their move into defense — from achieving unicorn status earlier this year to this latest announcement. If it lands near a €3 billion valuation, Quantum Systems could become a serious contender to Helsing, especially considering its deep connections and complementarity with STARK.
3. Fernride Raises Fresh Funding to Bring Its Autonomous Logistics Tech to European Defense Forces
Photo Credit: FERNRIDE
The Munich-based startup has extended its Series A, now totaling €75mn, to accelerate deployment of its dual-use ground autonomy platform—already used by blue-chip logistics giants—into defense logistics.
The company says its tech is ready to support European militaries with vehicle-agnostic, AI-powered systems that address personnel shortages and improve safety in high-risk zones.
The move is backed by new dual-use investors, including ex-Hensoldt CEO and Board Member of Airbus Defense, Thomas Müller, who’s also joining the board.
🗣 Hendrik Kramer, Co-Founder & CEO at FERNRIDE: “Europe needs sovereignty in critical industries and technologies. Autonomous systems for Container Terminals and Defence are mission-critical for Europe’s future” (FERNRIDE)
📰 Our Take: This is an interesting bet on dual-use autonomy, as defense logistics modernize and adapt to the historically low troop levels in today’s European armies.
What remains to be seen: Can Fernride’s civilian success translate to the defense space?
Other News
Flamingo Unveils FP-7 and FP-9 Missile Systems (Militarnyi)
This Week’s Statistics
Munich ranked as Europe’s top VC hub for (Defense Security Resilience) DSR investing in 2024 (NIF)
Fundraising News
Amount | Name | Round | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
€18mn | Autonomous Vehicles | ||
$5mn | Combat Drones | ||
$600k | AI for Defense |
Bonus Section — The Pros and Cons of Fiber-Optic FPVs
A fiber-optic drone. Photo Credit: Atlantic Council
Fiber-optic drones are standard FPV airframes that replace radio links with a thin, lightweight fiber-optic cable wound on a spool carried by the drone. As the drone flies, the cable unwinds behind it, providing a stable, jam-proof data connection with high-quality video. The link can only be disrupted by physically damaging the cable.
Because they aren’t constrained by the radio horizon, crews can fly extremely low—about two to three metres above the ground— and stay under cover while maintaining control. Operators say the wired link, which allows for a far higher quality image output compared to radio-controlled FPVs, lets them tell a decoy from a real weapon system with ease while enabling precise strikes with—smaller than radio-controlled drones—explosive payloads.
Current ranges are: Russian fiber-optic drones reach up to approximately 30 km, while Ukrainian models typically range around 20 km. A Ukrainian unit recently hit a target at a record 42 km, but this was a one-off under exceptionally favorable environmental conditions.
Both sides are finding ways to reduce fiber-optic spool weight and are tweaking cable thickness to extend range. The tech isn’t new—cable-controlled weapons and inspection robots have existed since at least the 1970s.
The drawbacks are mechanical. The cable adds mass and drag, limits range to the spool length, and affects payload capacity. It’s fragile—sometimes less durable than fishing line—can snag on obstacles, tangle with other cables, or be deliberately severed, including by hostile FPV propellers, instantly killing the drone. Wind stretches the line and increases the risk of breaking; if the cable is cut, the drone is lost.
Accuracy is also sensitive to pilot skill and spool length. Ukrainian success rates over 0–15 km are cited at ~10–30%, and about ~50% with 10 km spools. Russian units report up to ~80% success for flights up to 20 km, but this might be propaganda. Moreover, these systems are more expensive and delicate than conventional FPVs and require more expertise to operate.
Even so, they fill a clear niche: short- to mid-range, low-altitude ambush and strike missions where electronic warfare is intense and they effectively provide a low-cost munition that is immune to jamming.
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