Gallium Defense raises €7.1m seed for drone-detection radar

French defence company Gallium Defense raised €7.1 million in a seed round co-led by Keen Venture Partners and 360 Capital, with participation from Omnes Capital, Polytechnique Ventures and strategic investors, according to Vestbee.

Founded in April 2026 by Eric Fournier, Florian Lemoine and Robin Mandel, the company develops radar systems to detect drones and protect critical infrastructure and military assets. It is emerging from stealth as it prepares to bring its first product, the GDS-10, to market.

The GDS-10 is an X-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar with a software-defined architecture that can be updated. It is being developed in two versions, one for critical infrastructure operators and one for armed forces. It is designed to detect small drones, including first-person-view drones, at distances of up to 10 kilometres, with 360-degree azimuth and 90-degree elevation coverage.

The company has begun outdoor field trials of the radar and plans monthly demonstrations for civilian and military operators, with orders expected to open in the first quarter of 2027. It did not disclose a valuation.

What do these terms mean?

Seed round: The first external funding round in a company's life, used to turn an idea into an initial product.

AESA radar: An electronic radar that steers its beam without moving parts, allowing it to track multiple targets at once.

First-person-view drones: Drones whose operator sees what the camera sees in real time, commonly known as FPV drones.