By Ronan Corcoran
Nov 5 (Reuters) – French startup Alta Ares won 6 out of 16 lots under a NATO framework contract for counter-drone systems, its largest contract to date, the manufacturer of AI-powered air defence systems said on Thursday.
Founded in 2024, Alta Ares builds hard-kill air defence systems that physically intercept drones, including Shahed-type long-range attack drones and loitering munitions. Its software is fed by battlefield data from Ukraine and operations in the Gulf, and it raised €50 million ($56 million) in June to scale up production in France and Ukraine.
• Five companies were selected for the contract after assessing bids on technical capability and cost
• Other selected companies were Northrop Grumman, Axon Enterprises, Quantum Systems and OSL
• The six lots cover area defence and border protection, with Alta Ares being the only supplier selected for area-defence systems across fixed, deployable and mobile configurations
• It is ramping up production with industrial partners, aiming to produce more than 1,000 interceptors a month by 2027
($1 = 0.8880 euros)
(Reporting by Ronan Corcoran and Hugo Lhomedet in Gdansk; editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)
