Fortem Technologies Lands Lockheed Martin as a Customer and a $50M Investor

The most important customer for a defense hardware startup is often the first one that writes a check. For Fortem Technologies, a Lindon, Utah-based maker of counter-drone systems, that customer is now also its lead investor and primary integrator: Lockheed Martin.

In a sequence of moves that began with a $25 million investment in April 2026, Lockheed Martin has now led a $50 million Series B for Fortem and is folding its technology into the defense giant's broader Sanctum counter-UAS architecture [Fortem Technologies, April 2026][Fortem Technologies, September 2026]. This is not a typical venture round. It is a procurement and partnership agreement that doubles as a capital infusion, signaling that Fortem's full-stack system has moved past the demonstration phase and into active deployment. The company's SkyDome systems, which combine proprietary radar, AI software, and autonomous interceptor drones, are now reportedly protecting venues for the FIFA World Cup and have been validated in operational deployments in Ukraine, the Middle East, and East Asia [Fortem Technologies, September 2026][BusinessWire, January 2026].

The Full-Stack Kill Chain

Fortem's wedge is technical integration. While many competitors sell point solutions, like standalone radar or jamming systems, Fortem offers what it calls the SkyDome Family of Systems. This is a layered kill chain that handles detection, tracking, classification, and neutralization in one package [Tectonic Defense, September 2026]. The stack has three core components.

• TrueView Radar. A compact, ground-based radar unit specialized for detecting small, low-flying drones. The company claims it provides accurate 3D coverage, with a unit measuring roughly 8 by 3 inches and weighing under two pounds [AERPAW User Manual].
• SkyDome Manager. The AI-powered command-and-control software that fuses radar data, makes classification decisions, and cues the interceptor.
• DroneHunter. An autonomous interceptor drone designed to physically capture hostile drones mid-air using a net, rather than destroying them with kinetic force or jamming. The company claims an 85% success rate for these autonomous captures [Fortem Technologies].

This integrated approach is the product's main selling point to military and critical infrastructure buyers. The system is designed to work as a closed loop, reducing the need to stitch together components from different vendors, which can create latency and interoperability headaches in a high-stakes scenario.

Lockheed's Strategic Bet

Lockheed Martin's involvement is a multi-layered validation. The relationship appears to have started as a customer-vendor one before evolving into a strategic investment. Fortem's technology is being integrated into Lockheed's Sanctum counter-UAS ecosystem, a move that effectively makes Fortem a sub-tier supplier to one of the world's largest defense primes [Fortem Technologies, April 2026].

This gives Fortem a powerful distribution channel and a stamp of technical approval that is difficult for other startups to match. It also provides a clear path to scaling production, as Lockheed can bring its manufacturing and supply chain expertise to bear. The funding, a total of $75 million from Lockheed across two tranches in 2026, is ostensibly for "meeting urgent demand" for counter-drone systems [Fortem Technologies, April 2026]. In practice, it likely funds the operational ramp to fulfill orders flowing through this new partnership.

Fortem's funding history shows a pattern of attracting strategic, rather than purely financial, investors.

Date	Round	Amount	Lead Investor
March 2021	Other	$15M	Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions
April 2026	Series B (Tranche 1)	$25M	Lockheed Martin
September 2026	Series B	$50M	Lockheed Martin

Previous backers include DCVC, AE Industrial Partners, and Signia Venture Partners, but the Lockheed and Toshiba investments point to a business built for deep enterprise and government sales [Fortem Technologies recruiting page].

Traction Beyond the Battlefield

While the Lockheed deal anchors the military business, Fortem is also pursuing commercial and government security contracts. The company says its systems are deployed for high-profile event security, including the FIFA World Cup, and that one of the United States' top communication providers purchased its radar and software to monitor threats to infrastructure [Fortem Technologies, September 2026][Fortem Technologies, August 2021]. Another key credential is authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration; Fortem states it is the only company authorized to deploy a drone-on-drone kinetic interceptor in U.S. national airspace [BusinessWire, January 2026].

The company has also demonstrated a capacity for rapid development in response to immediate needs. It reportedly designed, built, and launched its FireThorn ground-launched defense munition drone in under six months, a system that is now deployed in Ukraine [Defence-Industries.com, 2025]. Headcount and revenue estimates from third-party sources suggest a company in growth mode, with one source citing approximately 116 employees and $28.5 million in annual revenue [Growjo, 2026].

The Scale and Integration Challenge

The technical breakdown of Fortem's system reveals its ambition and its primary risk. The architecture is elegant in theory: a tightly coupled sensor-to-shooter loop that minimizes decision latency. The DroneHunter's net-based capture is a thoughtful design choice to reduce collateral damage in crowded airspace, a significant concern for urban deployments.

However, the very integration that is its strength becomes a scaling challenge. Hardware-software systems are complex to manufacture, deploy, and maintain at a global scale. Each deployment site requires careful calibration of the radar network, validation of the AI's classification models against local conditions, and physical staging for the interceptor drones. This is not a SaaS product that scales with a click. The company's current job postings, which include roles for Senior RF Engineers, Principal Radar Systems Engineers, and Production Technicians, underscore this heavy-lift operational reality [Fortem Technologies careers].

The other looming question is competitive density. The counter-UAS market is crowded with well-funded players like Anduril, Dedrone, and DroneShield, as well as established defense contractors. Fortem's early lock-in with Lockheed provides a formidable moat, but it also potentially limits its addressable market to customers within Lockheed's orbit or those willing to buy a subsystem of a larger prime's offering. The company must now execute on the manufacturing and deployment logistics that its flagship partnership demands, proving that its integrated kill chain works as reliably in the thousandth installation as it does in a controlled demonstration.

Sources

1. [Fortem Technologies, March 2021] Press Release | https://fortemtech.com/press-releases/
2. [Fortem Technologies, April 2026] Lockheed Martin Invests $25M in Fortem Technologies | https://fortemtech.com/press-releases/2026-04-22-lockheed-martin-invests-25m-in-fortem-technologies-to-meet-urgent-demand-for-countering-uas-threats/
3. [Fortem Technologies, September 2026] Fortem Technologies Closes $50M Series B Financing Led by Lockheed Martin | https://fortemtech.com/press-releases/2026-09-30-fortem-technologies-closes-50m-series-b-financing-led-by-lockheed-martin/
4. [Fortem Technologies, August 2021] Press Release | https://fortemtech.com/press-releases/
5. [Fortem Technologies, June 2025] Fortem Technologies Opens New Advanced Manufacturing Headquarters | https://fortemtech.com/press-releases/2025-06-17-fortem-technologies-opens-new-advanced-manufacturing-headquarters-to-meet-global-demand-for-counter-drone-defense/
6. [Tectonic Defense, September 2026] Exclusive: Counter-drone startup Fortem raises $50M Series B | https://www.tectonicdefense.com/exclusive-counter-drone-startup-fortem-raises-50m-series-b/
7. [BusinessWire, January 2026] Press Release | https://www.businesswire.com/
8. [AERPAW User Manual] Technical Specifications | https://aerpaw.org/
9. [Defence-Industries.com, 2025] Article on FireThorn | https://defence-industries.com/
10. [Growjo, 2026] Company Profile | https://growjo.com/
11. [Fortem Technologies recruiting page] Careers Page | https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/Details/4292542/FORTEM-TECHNOLOGIES/Senior-Product-Manager