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Arkeus, a software developer for autonomous defense platforms, raised a US$18 million Series A, the company announced Friday.

The big picture: Venture funding for defense-related startups is already on track to far surpass last year's record total.

How it works: The Australian-based company builds perception software for autonomous military platforms, aimed at improving how unscrewed systems, like drones, interpret real-world environments.

Arkeus says its technology is deployed with the U.S. Department of Defense and Australian Department of Defence, as well as with drone manufacturers like AeroVironment, Textron, Tekever and Insitu.

Follow the money: QIC Ventures led the round, with participation from R+VC, Folklore Ventures, DYNE Ventures, Main Sequence Ventures, Salus Ventures and Beaten Zone.

State of play: Defense tech startups have raised nearly $13.6 billion as of mid-May, according to Crunchbase, compared to last year's total of $8.8 billion.

Anduril Industries raised $5 billion led by Thrive Capital and Andreessen Horowitz at a $61 billion valuation on Wednesday.

European military drone company Helsing is close to raising a $1.2 billion round at an $18 billion valuation, the Financial Times reported.

What they're saying: "The future of autonomy will not be defined only by the platform, but by the ability of those platforms to perceive and understand the world around them," CEO Simon Olsen says. 

What's next: Olsen says the company is focused on scaling, and plans to grow its U.S. and European operations. 

Defense tech startup Arkeus raises $18M Series A

The Australian-based company builds perception software for autonomous military platforms.

Illustration of a drone with abstract shapes and pieces of money.

Arkeus, a software developer for autonomous defense platforms, raised a US$18 million Series A, the company announced Friday.The big picture: Venture funding for defense-related startups is already on track to far surpass last year&#x27;s record total.

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Defense tech startup Arkeus raises $18M Series A

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