Gallium Defense comes out of stealth with a €7.1M seed round to enable drone detection at scale

The three co-founders in front of the GDS-10 prototype

Gallium Defense announces seed funding round led by Keen Venture Partners and 360 Capital, with Omnes Capital and Polytechnique Ventures participating.

PARIS, FRANCE, November 3, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Coinciding with European Defence Week 2026 (2–6 November, Paris), Gallium Defense emerges from stealth and announces a €7.1 million seed funding round led by Keen Venture Partners and 360 Capital, with Omnes Capital and Polytechnique Ventures participating. The company is developing the GDS-10, a 3D drone detection radar designed for mass production at a fraction of the cost of existing systems, serving both armed forces and critical infrastructure operators. Orders will open in the first quarter of 2027.

3 CO-FOUNDERS, ROOTED IN EUROPE’S DEFENSE TECH ECOSYSTEM
Gallium Defense was founded in Paris in April 2026 by Eric Fournier (CEO), formerly of Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Florian Lemoine (CTO), who previously worked at NATO, BCG and the DGA, and Robin Mandel (COO), formerly of Thales, BCG and Safran. From day one, the company has been built with strategic partners, notably specialists in radar system design & prototyping from the French Microwave Valley.

‍The €7.1M seed round was led by Keen Venture Partners and 360 Capital, with participation from Omnes Capital and Polytechnique Ventures. The proceeds will be used to industrialise production of the first products, strengthen the team, train AI-models and run demonstrations, for civil and military operators, around the world.

SOLVE DRONE DETECTION AT SCALE
More than 80% of critical infrastructure sites and military assets remain unprotected against modern drone threats. Not for lack of will, but for lack of affordable, field-ready radars capable of addressing the scale of this new threat.

Gallium Defense was founded to change that. Their mission: solve drone detection at scale - by making high-performance radars radically more affordable and easier to deploy, for both air security and air defense.
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GDS-10: A RADAR DESIGNED FROM THE OPERATOR’S SEAT
Gallium Defense is developing the GDS-10, an X-band AESA radar with a software-defined, AI native architecture. Built for dual-use, it is available in two versions: one for critical infrastructure operators, the other for armed forces.

Designed to detect Class 1 & FPV drones at 10km, track multiple targets and integrate with existing defense systems, the GDS-10 aims to make protection against aerial threats more effective and more accessible. Its software-defined architecture allows its capabilities to evolve as new threats emerge.

The GDS-10 provides 360° coverage in azimuth and 90° in elevation, with no blind spots, and can track multiple drones simultaneously, including within a swarm. By design it can operate day & night and in all weather. It can also be adapted to environments subject to electronic jamming.

‍At a fraction of the cost of leading competing systems, Gallium Defense aims to make large-scale radar networks a reality. “Our radars are designed to be manufactured and deployed by the hundreds, not one at a time,” stresses Robin Mandel, COO and co-founder of Gallium Defense.

SPEED AS A CAPABILITY
Just four months after closing its seed round, Gallium Defense is taking the GDS-10 into open-air field trials, a pace rarely seen in the radar industry. “We are delighted to have reached this milestone. And we will keep accelerating, with outdoor demonstrations now scheduled every month,” says Eric Fournier, CEO and co-founder of Gallium Defense. Orders open in Q1 2027, and access to demonstrations are already available.
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“As drones proliferate, traditional radars are reaching their operational and economic limits. At Gallium Defense, we started from a blank sheet with a simple question, asked by operators in the field: how do you meet 80% of the need at 20% of the price? Our answer: a radically rethought AESA radar architecture that makes extensive use of commercial off-the-shelf components and the power of embedded computing. Yes, high-performance radar detection at scale is possible!” Eric Fournier, CEO and co-founder of Gallium Defense.
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“Great defence starts with superior visibility. Gallium Defense has the team, the industrial partners and the cost model to make drone detection a standard layer at every critical site - the kind of European capability our fund is proud to back.” Alexander Ribbink, General Partner, Keen Venture Partners.

Keen Venture Partners BV
Keen Venture Partners BV