Aeon, named to Black Flag list, working with Army lab on missiles
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Aeon is developing launchers and smart, rocket-powered projectiles that can pack an explosive punch against armor or deliver life-saving medical supplies to a trench otherwise out of reach, company executives told Axios.
The big picture: "I grew up by Camp Pendleton, in Oceanside, California. Talking to Marines, I learned they were still dependent on unguided rockets, and that blew my mind," founder and CEO Naweed Tahmas said in an interview.
- "No warfighter in the modern era should have their lives depend on anything that's unguided."
Driving the news: Aeon last week announced it was working with the U.S. Army Applications Laboratory to build a "modular payload" and "electronic safe and arm device" for its Zeus system.
- The value of the deal was not disclosed.
The intrigue: Tahmas was recently photographed alongside Army Futures Command boss Gen. James Rainey and Will Edwards, the co-founder of propulsion firm Firehawk.
State of play: Aeon is based in Texas and is a little more than a year old.
- It's raised $18.6 million to date and was recently named to the inaugural Black Flag 100, a list of promising deep-tech firms.
- It has 30 employees.
- Its lines in Austin are ready to produce up to 100 Zeus weapon systems per month. The payloads aboard can be swapped out based on the needs of the day.
What they're saying: "When you provide the U.S. warfighter with options like Batman's tool belt, they'll find a way to win," Rick Loy, the company's chief program officer, told Axios. (Loy spent more than two decades at Lockheed Martin.)
- "You could call it a missile or a weapon, but there would be nothing precluding this from … a commercial application or a safety or emergency device used by the military."
What's next: Live tests are expected next month.
