The U.S. Defense Department has expanded a private online marketplace for procuring counter-drone equipment, creating a centralized system accessible only to approved buyers. The platform is run by Joint Interagency Task Force 401 and restricts visibility based on export-control classifications. Suppliers must pass vetting to list products. Developer Kaizen Laboratories is building the system under a $15 million prototype contract, with cumulative purchases rising from $13 million in April to $21 million in early August.

London-based defence-focused AI infrastructure startup Valarian Technologies has raised $50 million in a Series A funding round to target the sovereign AI market. The investment was led by New Enterprise Associates, its first European defence tech startup deal, with participation from Lightbank, XTX Markets, Sequoia and LitVC. Valarian supplies AI infrastructure for sensitive government and regulated-industry computing environments and offers separate products for commercial clients and defence agencies.