STARK

What STARK does

STARK Defence (legal entity SKD SE) is a Berlin-headquartered European defence technology company founded in 2024 that designs, manufactures, and sells software-defined, AI-enabled unmanned weapons systems to NATO armed forces and select partner nations. The company's portfolio spans air, maritime, and command-and-control domains, anchored on the Minerva C2 software platform that orchestrates its VIRTUS, VANTA, GAMBIT, and CASCADE effector families. STARK operates exclusively through direct government-to-government procurement, with no third-party resellers, and has secured framework contracts with the German Bundeswehr (€268.6M initial fixed order with a ceiling up to €2.86B), the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the UK Ministry of Defence, and an undisclosed NATO member in Northern Europe.

Name

STARK

Legal name

SKD SE

Website

https://stark-defence.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

STARK Defence is a Berlin-based defence technology company founded in 2024 that develops software-defined, AI-enabled unmanned weapons systems—including loitering munitions, unmanned surface vessels, and C2 software—for NATO armed forces and select partner nations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Unmanned Defence Systems

NAICS

Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Computer Systems Design Services (541512)

SIC

Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) Electronics for Weapons (IMABAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Electronic Warfare (EW) & Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) Systems (IMABAOAB), Naval Weapons & Launch Systems (Guns, VLS, Torpedoes Interfaces) (IMAJABAK), Modeling, Simulation, Digital Twins & Mission Rehearsal Systems (IMABAOAL)

Keywords

• Unmanned weapons systems
• Loitering munitions
• Command and control software
• Unmanned surface vessels
• Autonomous defence systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Defence Procurement Contracts: Multi-year framework agreements with NATO governments for delivery of loitering munition systems and unmanned surface vessels. Example: framework agreement with German Bundeswehr approved 25 Feb 2026 for delivery of several thousand Virtus loitering munition systems within two years of qualification.
2. Direct Foreign Military Sales: Direct sales of loitering munitions to allied governments including delivery to undisclosed NATO member state in Northern Europe (Feb-Aug 2026 delivery schedule) and ongoing supply to Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

STARK designs, develops and manufactures software-defined, AI-enabled unmanned weapons systems and command and control software for NATO militaries and their closest partner nations. Its portfolio includes the Virtus one-way effector (loitering munition), the Vanta unmanned surface vessel family, the Minerva command and control software, and the Gambit and Cascade additional effectors, delivered as coordinated multi-domain systems rather than standalone products.

Product overview

STARK offers a portfolio of AI-enabled unmanned weapons systems and C2 software spanning air, land and maritime domains, structured as a software-defined platform-plus-modules architecture anchored on the Minerva C2 operating system. The Minerva C2 software acts as the middleware layer that plans, coordinates and executes the deployed effectors: VIRTUS (one-way effector vertical / loitering munition), CASCADE (tube-launched one-way effector for mass precision strikes), GAMBIT (one-way effector quadcopter for man-portable short-range strikes), and VANTA (unmanned surface vessel family for maritime deterrence). All effectors are designed to operate as standalone systems or as coordinated swarms under Minerva, with software-defined architectures enabling continuous OTA capability updates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Virtus: STARK's flagship loitering munition, a one-way effector with vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) capability, range of over 130 km, endurance of up to 90 minutes, and modular payload up to 5kg.
• Vanta
• Minerva
• Gambit
• Cascade

Products and services

• VIRTUS (OWE-V) STARK's flagship software-defined one-way effector (loitering munition) with electric vertical take-off and landing, 130+ km range, 90-minute flight time, 250 km/h dive speed, modular 5 kg payload, integrated TDW LION STRIKE 110 warhead achieving 800 mm RHA penetration, EW-resilient multi-layer data link, and GNSS-denied visual odometry navigation. Sold to NATO militaries as a standalone precision-strike system.
• VANTA (Unmanned Surface Vessel) Customisable product line of unmanned surface vessels for maritime deterrence and hybrid naval operations, with up to 910 nautical miles range, 45+ knots top speed, 2,500 kg weight, 200 kg payload, IMO COLREG and MCA Workboat Code 3 compliance, and sea-state-4 operation / sea-state-6 survival envelope. Sold to NATO navies and allied partner nations.
• MINERVA (Command and Control / CWES Software) Future-ready, sovereign, fully certified Command and Control (C2) software / Command and Weapon Engagement System (CWES) that plans, coordinates and executes unmanned weapons systems across land, air and maritime domains. Built on Modular Open Source Architecture (MOSA), it acts as middleware integrating third-party unmanned systems via standardised interfaces, performs automated target prioritisation and effector selection, enables swarming and recce-strike missions, and keeps the human operator in-the-loop for all engagement decisions.
• GAMBIT (OWE-Q) Foldable 6 kg eVTOL quadcopter loitering munition for ISR and short-range strikes, deployable in under 5 minutes. Strike variant provides <25 km range, <25 min endurance, <2 kg warhead, 120 km/h dive speed and NATO STANAG-compliant fuze. ISR variant provides <40 km range, >50 min endurance and EO/IR sensor payload with day/night operation and GNSS-denied visual navigation. Sold to NATO militaries for short-range, man-portable operations.
• CASCADE (OWE-T) Tube/canister-launched one-way effector for simultaneous launch of multiple effectors to overwhelm hostile air defences and point targets, day and night. Up to 100 km range, 100 km/h cruise, 220 km/h dive, up to 60 minutes flight time, up to 4.5 kg modular payload, deployable in under 1 minute, <20 kg launcher + effector, EW-resilient data link, onboard AI for GNSS-free navigation, object recognition and precise tracking, and software-defined architecture with OTA updates. Sold to NATO militaries for mass precision strikes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Virtus and Minerva compress Bundeswehr kill chain from minutes/hours to seconds via AI-enabled recce-strike integration
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability9 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• INLEAP PhotonicscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2026Strategic partnership announced at Hannover Messe 2026 with Minister-President of Lower Saxony Olaf Lies. Integration of INLEAP FASTLIGHT SHIELD laser-based C-UAS (capable of intercepting UAS in <1 second) into STARK's unmanned systems including the Vanta USV family. Joint development of additional counter-UAS solutions. Long-term collaboration.
• Six RoboticscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 March 2026Memorandum of understanding signed between Norwegian Six Robotics and STARK to integrate autonomy and swarming software with Virtus loitering munitions for joint recce-strike mission deployment. First Nordic capability partnership under Hansa Arrangement signed during Munich Security Conference; first phase demonstrated via successful trials.
• HelsingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Peer German defence AI startup; co-recipient of joint €536 million Bundeswehr loitering munition initial contract (each receiving ~€268.6 million); framework deal ceiling €4.3 billion reduced to €2 billion by Bundestag. Sibling competitor in German strike-drone capability development.
• TDWcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025Integration of TDW's LION STRIKE 110 (LS110) warhead into STARK's Virtus loitering munition. Successful first warhead live firing test at Bavarian testing site achieved 800 mm RHA penetration exceeding Bundeswehr requirements. Positions both companies to deliver thousands of integrated systems to NATO allies before 2027.
• AeroMass TechnologiesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025Stark Defence acquired AeroMass Technologies to boost its manufacturing muscle; deal involving a European company.
• Quantum SystemscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 September 2025Joint UAV system demonstration of Virtus loitering munition with Quantum Systems' Vector reconnaissance drone; together deployed in AI-enabled combat drone swarms in Ukrainian Armed Forces operations and Bundeswehr exercises. Integration compresses the kill chain from minutes/hours to seconds.
• PlenocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 July 2025Stark acquired Pleno, an autonomous navigation software specialist; Pleno co-founder and co-CEO Nino Lindenberg joined Stark as Director of AI and Navigation. Acquisition strengthens STARK's offerings for military end users facing jamming and interference threats.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Helsing: Helsing is a Munich-based AI defence company that co-won the identical German Bundeswehr loitering munition framework contract with STARK. Both companies target AI-enabled autonomous strike and C2 capabilities for European NATO militaries, making them the closest direct competitor.
• Anduril Industries: Anduril is a US-based autonomous defence systems company building software-defined weapons (Roadrunner, Bolt), C2 (Lattice), and maritime USVs (Dive-LD/XL) — directly mirroring STARK's air/maritime/C2 portfolio and software-defined business model.
• Shield AI: Shield AI builds AI-piloted autonomous drones (V-BAT, Hivemind autonomy stack) for defence customers, competing in the same software-defined autonomy and GNSS-denied navigation categories as STARK's Virtus and Minerva systems.
• Quantum Systems: Quantum Systems is a German drone manufacturer that is both a STARK integration partner (Vector reconnaissance drone linked to Virtus via Minerva C2) and a direct competitor in tactical ISR/strike drones for European defence customers.

Broad incumbents

• AeroVironment: AeroVironment is a US-listed incumbent producing the Switchblade loitering munition family that pioneered the one-way effector category STARK now competes in; broader portfolio across tactical UAS gives it incumbent scale and US DoD relationships STARK lacks.
• Baykar: Baykar is a Turkish defence company producing the TB2 and TB3 unmanned systems and KEMANKEŞ loitering munition, with global export reach and combat validation in multiple conflicts — a broad incumbent competing for the same NATO-aligned drone procurement budgets.
• Elbit Systems: Elbit Systems is an Israeli defence incumbent producing loitering munitions (Mini Harpy), UAS, and C2 systems, supplying NATO and European militaries with combat-validated autonomous strike products overlapping with STARK's Virtus and Minerva portfolio.
• Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI): IAI manufactures the Harop and Mini Harpy loitering munitions and Rotem USV family, directly overlapping with STARK's Virtus and Vanta product lines; broad defence prime with deep NATO customer relationships.
• Saab: Saab is a Swedish defence prime producing combat-validated UAS, missiles, and C2 systems for NATO customers, with deep Nordic relationships STARK is now cultivating via its Stockholm office; a broad incumbent competitor in adjacent European defence programmes.

Emerging players

• Tekever: Tekever is a Portuguese/UK drone defence startup providing ISR and surveillance UAS to European customers (including Ukraine); an emerging European new-entrant with overlapping technology and customer base but without STARK's strike/effector capability yet.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stark-defence

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors11 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about STARK