German defence-tech startup Ground A has raised €9.1 million in pre-seed funding as it works to bring its laser-based counter-drone technology to market. The funding comes at a time when counter-unmanned aerial systems are becoming an increasingly important part of Europe’s defence technology landscape.
Ground A is developing technology designed to detect, identify and counter small drones using a combination of sensors, artificial intelligence and directed-energy systems. Its approach focuses on creating a more responsive layer of defence against drones, which have become increasingly common across modern military and security environments.
The company’s first system, GA 1000, is built around a combination of radar and other sensing technologies, computer vision, AI and laser capabilities. The system is designed to identify and track drone threats before engaging them, bringing several stages of the counter-drone process into a single platform.
A key part of Ground A’s proposition is mobility. The company is developing its system to operate in different environments and integrate with existing defence infrastructure rather than requiring militaries to build entirely new systems around it. This could allow the technology to complement existing air-defence and command-and-control networks.
The company’s emergence comes as European defence spending and investment in defence technology continue to accelerate. Russia’s war in Ukraine has demonstrated the scale and complexity of drone warfare, while the proliferation of relatively inexpensive unmanned systems has created a need for technologies that can respond to threats without relying solely on traditional interceptors.
Directed-energy systems such as high-powered lasers are attracting attention because they can potentially provide a repeatable response to drone threats. Their economics can also be different from conventional missile-based systems, particularly when operators face large numbers of comparatively inexpensive drones.
For Ground A, the immediate focus is moving its technology from development and testing towards wider deployment. The new capital is expected to support product development, testing, manufacturing and the company’s broader commercialisation efforts.
The funding also places Ground A within a growing European defence-tech ecosystem, where startups are increasingly developing technologies around autonomous systems, sensors, AI, electronic warfare and counter-drone capabilities.
As drones become a permanent feature of modern security and defence operations, the market for technologies capable of detecting and neutralising them is likely to become increasingly strategic across Europe.
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