French counter-drone startup Alta Ares wins third of NATO framework contract

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)

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