Helsing unveils Contra air defence, Salesforce agrees to buy Rune Technologies, and more - Defense AI Brief #64

In this edition, covering 23 to 29 October:

• Helsing unveiled Contra, an autonomous AI air defence system it says can detect and engage hundreds or thousands of drones and missiles at once.
• Salesforce agreed to acquire Rune Technologies, whose software helps US military and allied frontline teams manage logistics with limited or no connectivity.
• A GAO report found that some of 10 reviewed Pentagon AI weapons and tools did not closely follow the department's responsible AI guidelines.

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Drones and air defence

Helsing unveiled Contra, an autonomous AI based air defence system that the company says can detect and engage hundreds or thousands of drones and missiles at once. It also unveiled two interceptors, the AD-1 Inferno and the AD-2 Ambush; the AD-2 reaches Mach 2.5 with a range of more than 20 km. Helsing Contra

Shield and Leonardo agreed in London to use Shield's Hivemind Software Development Kit to develop and integrate autonomy for Leonardo's Proteus uncrewed rotorcraft, for missions including anti submarine warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and contested logistics. Swarmer will acquire rights to some of Ukrainian defense technology company Vataga Drone's hardware and software engineering IP. Vataga CEO Maksym Melnyk and 14 hardware research and development staff will join Swarmer, and Vataga will continue to operate independently. Financial terms were not disclosed. Proteus · Swarmer

Ericsson introduced its Integrated Sensing and Communication system, which uses existing 5G radios, edge computing and AI to detect and track drones, building on its earlier demonstration with AT&T in Arlington, Texas; commercial pilots are planned for 2027. Paris based Gallium Defense raised a €7.1 million seed round led by Keen Venture Partners and 360 Capital to scale production of its GDS-10 drone detection radar, with orders opening in the first quarter of 2027. Ericsson ISAC · Gallium Defense

Hardware and software for the military

Anduril and Qualcomm have built working BlueChip laptop prototypes for government, military and other customers. The laptops use Qualcomm Snapdragon X Series chips for general processing, graphics and on device AI, and orders are planned to begin in 2027. Anduril will make them at its Arsenal 1 facility in Ohio, with chips made at a TSMC facility in Arizona. BlueChip

Salesforce plans to acquire Rune Technologies, whose software helps US military and allied frontline teams manage logistics where connectivity is limited or absent. Rune's tactical edge tools would join Salesforce's Missionforce portfolio, and the deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of Salesforce's fiscal year 2027, subject to customary conditions. Rune Technologies

Funding and results

Dallas based investment firm Disruptive raised a $10 billion fund for AI, defense and software startups. The fund doubles its total assets under management and replaces deal by deal fundraising with a single fund managed at the firm's discretion. California based Foundry Robotics raised $100 million in a Series A led by Marlinspike to expand its robotic assembly facilities, which use FoundryOS to coordinate production of unmanned systems, satellites, batteries and other products. Shipbuilder HII is among its customers. Disruptive · Foundry Robotics

BigBear.ai reported third quarter 2026 revenue of $43.6 million, up 31% year over year, and raised its full year 2026 revenue guidance to $150 million to $165 million. The company reported more than 25 new contracts worth over $225 million and a backlog of $330 million. Its net loss was $91.9 million, including a $76.7 million noncash goodwill impairment charge. BigBear.ai

Oversight

A US Government Accountability Office report found that some of 10 reviewed Pentagon AI weapons and tools did not closely follow the department's responsible AI guidelines. Six officials identified operational risks, four reported misaligned requirements, and three did not know whether their projects would be monitored after deployment. Only three of 10 authorized positions in the Pentagon's Responsible AI Division were filled. The Pentagon agreed to improve oversight and staffing but had not made the changes by 22 October. GAO report

A POGO investigation reports that retired generals, defense officials and WestExec Advisors helped Rhombus Power promote AI tools to the US military. Rhombus claimed its platform predicted major security events, but according to POGO, former employees, officials, emails and military assessments indicated the tools often failed to perform as advertised. SOCOM said no Rhombus tools are currently in use. A former executive separately accused the company of mishandling classified information and overstating product capabilities. Rhombus Power