- Gallium Protection has raised a €7.1 million seed spherical, led by Eager Enterprise Companions and 360 Capital.
- Its GDS-10 radar can detect small drones out to 10 kilometers at a value corresponding to options with a lot shorter ranges.
- The Paris-based startup has not but generated income, is in talks with six potential prospects, and goals to succeed in € 6 million in orders by 2027.
Gallium Defense emerged from stealth with a €7.1 million seed spherical led by Eager Enterprise Companions and 360 Capital, and goals to turn out to be “the Dacia of the radar,” its founder, Eric Fournier, instructed Tech Funding Information. Omnes Capital and Polytechnique Ventures additionally participated.
The funds will fund manufacturing of the primary radars, crew progress, AI mannequin coaching, and demos for each civil and navy prospects.
Why a finances radar, and why now
Fournier spent 17 years in defence, ready for the precise second to arrange his personal firm in April 2026 with Florian Lemoine and Robin Mandel. In a dialog with TFN, he factors to NATO research earlier than 2020 that recognized a niche between what an built-in air defence functionality required and what was truly obtainable.
Radar was the more durable factor to develop. Fournier had labored on a number of radar initiatives in France, and it took time to search out companions who may construct the delicate antennas. Actual R&D started in 2024, with the purpose of proving the system labored in the true world beneath hostile circumstances, not simply in a presentation.
Gallium’s resolution makes use of cheaper antenna parts and provides processing energy immediately onto the antenna. The corporate says it has labored with strategic companions from the outset, together with radar design and prototyping specialists from the French Microwave Valley.
The GDS-10 is an X-band AESA radar with a software-defined, AI-based structure. It’s obtainable in two variants: one for vital infrastructure and one for the navy. The corporate claims it could detect Class 1 drones and FPV drones out to 10km.
It presents 360-degree azimuth and 90-degree elevation protection and may observe a number of targets concurrently, together with drone swarms. It operates day and night time, in all climate, and may function within the presence of digital jamming.
Pre-revenue, six prospects, and a €6M goal
“As drones proliferate, conventional radars are reaching their operational and financial limits. At Gallium Protection, we began from a clean sheet with a easy query, requested by operators within the discipline: how do you meet 80% of the necessity at 20% of the worth? Our reply: a radically rethought AESA radar structure that makes intensive use of business off-the-shelf parts and the ability of embedded computing. Sure, high-performance radar detection at scale is feasible!” mentioned Fournier.
Fournier confirmed the product already works, and the primary factor left is machine studying. That takes time within the discipline to coach the algorithms. Gallium is pre-revenue and has six potential prospects within the pipeline. If these discussions go properly, they may land orders price round €6 million in 2027, in line with Fournier.
The following stage is manufacturing. Fournier says Gallium at the moment has 15 individuals on the books and expects to develop to 17 by the top of the 12 months. They’re taking a look at 30 to 50 by 2027, relying on gross sales.
Market competitors and what’s subsequent
A number of choices exist already. Dutch Robin Radar Programs won a defence ministry contract in December 2025 for 100 IRIS drone detection radars. Within the US, Echodyne raised $135 million in a 2022 spherical co-led by Baillie Gifford and Invoice Gates, whereas Chaos Industries secured $510 million in November 2025 at a $4.5 billion valuation.
In Europe, Alta Ares raised €50 million in June 2026 to mix interceptors with detection and monitoring. Egide raised an €8 million seed spherical in March 2026 for low-cost interceptors. Stendr raised a $5.4 million pre-seed spherical in April 2026 for AI-based drone detection. Cambridge Aerospace raised $300 million at a $3.4 billion valuation in August and is working by itself radar.
“Nice defence begins with superior visibility. Gallium Protection has the crew, the economic companions and the fee mannequin to make drone detection a normal layer at each vital website — the type of European functionality our fund is proud to again,” mentioned Alexander Ribbink, normal accomplice at Eager and former COO of TomTom.
360 Capital’s accomplice Alexandre Mordacq famous, “Drones have turned air safety and air protection into a necessity for hundreds of websites, and at present’s radars had been by no means designed for this paradigm. Eric, Florian and Robin have moved at exceptional pace since founding Gallium, and we’re proud to help them in bringing the GDS-10 as rapidly as doable to the operators and armed forces who want it most.”
The info helps assertions about capital flows. European defence tech startups raised $7.4 billion in 2026, with Helsing’s $1.8 billion Series E alone accounting for over 85% of that whole. Laser is one other space of serious funding, with Floor A raising €9.1 million in a pre-seed and INLEAP Photonics securing €20 million. MarketsandMarkets has a way more optimistic view of the counter-drone market, forecasting $9.17 billion in 2026 and $29.70 billion by 2031.
The actual take a look at is 2027. Six of the prospects want to show their memos into precise orders; the primary items should be delivery by June, and the month-to-month out of doors demos would be the true take a look at of whether or not an organization that launched in April 2026 can carry out to the extent of Robin Radar, Echodyne and Chaos on the worth Fournier has promised. Till somebody buys, the ‘Dacia of radar’ remains to be simply that: an concept.
