What DEFCON AI does

DEFCON AI is a private defense-technology and applied-AI company founded in 2022 and headquartered in McLean, Virginia. It develops AI-powered optimization platforms that combine mathematical optimization, machine learning, simulation, and (in select products) large language models to support decision-making in complex, contested, and time-sensitive operational environments. Its product portfolio spans eight distinct platforms — ARTIV Air, R-ALIGN, R-IMS, DockForge, FlightForge, SimSource, HelioNet, and Synapse Scheduler — addressing airlift planning, multimodal logistics, infrastructure and shipyard scheduling, flight scheduling, manufacturing simulation, global logistics network design, and healthcare workforce scheduling, respectively. The company is a portfolio company of Red Cell Partners and combines a deep bench of senior defense leaders (including a former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs) with PhD-level technical staff.

DEFCON AI's primary go-to-market is direct enterprise sales to the U.S. Department of Defense, secured through Other Transaction Authority agreements, SBIR contracts, and competitive bidding. The flagship commercial win is a 5-year, $115 million prototype agreement with the U.S. Marine Corps to build the technical foundation for Logistics Command and Control modernization under Project Dynamis and JADC2, supplemented by Air Force SBIR awards and logistics-software delivery to Air Mobility Command. Distribution is single-country (domestic U.S.), delivered as cloud-native software and as technical integration services (DevSecOps pipelines, multi-vendor orchestration). The GTM motion is enterprise field sales, with website CTAs for "Request a Demo" and direct engagement through defense-tech expos and senior-leadership relationships.

Beyond defense, DEFCON AI is expanding into commercial verticals through products such as SimSource (a freemium-beta manufacturing simulation platform), Synapse Scheduler (healthcare workforce scheduling), and HelioNet (global logistics network design). The company is venture-backed, having raised a $44 million Bessemer Venture Partners-led seed round in August 2024 that is described as one of the largest defense-tech seed rounds ever. Strategic partners include BigBear.ai for co-developed military decision intelligence, alongside a broader partner network spanning KBR, NAVSEA, Second Front Systems, EdgeRunner AI, and academic institutions.

Name

DEFCON AI

Legal name

DEFCON AI, Inc.

Website

https://defconai.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DEFCON AI builds AI-powered optimization platforms for logistics, mobility, and operational decision-making. It serves primarily the U.S. Department of Defense — Marine Corps, Air Force, JADC2 programs — and is extending into manufacturing, healthcare, and global logistics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defense Logistics Software

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415), Computer Systems Design Services (541512)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

End-to-End Enterprise AI Platforms (MLOps & Model Lifecycle Management) (HDAEANAA)

Keywords

• Defense logistics software
• AI optimization platform
• Mission planning software
• Multimodal logistics solutions
• Military decision intelligence

Headquarters

HQ city

Mclean

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. U.S. Department of Defense Government Contracts: DEFCON AI derives revenue primarily from U.S. Department of Defense contracts, including prototype agreements, SBIR contracts, and software integration agreements. The company was awarded a 5-year $115 million prototype agreement under Other Transaction Authority for Marine Corps Logistics Command and Control modernization. Additional revenue comes from Air Force SBIR contracts and logistics software development for US Air Mobility Command.
2. Parent Company Investment / Venture Funding: DEFCON AI is a Red Cell Partners portfolio company that raised one of the largest defense-tech seed rounds in 2024, led by Bessemer Venture Partners. Red Cell is described as a venture studio with a $425 million portfolio. The company has received investment support from its parent company and institutional venture capital investors for product development and market expansion.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

DEFCON AI develops and sells AI-powered optimization platforms that enable defense and enterprise customers to rapidly generate, evaluate, and execute logistics, mission, and operational planning scenarios under uncertainty. Its portfolio spans airlift planning (ARTIV Air), multimodal global logistics (R-ALIGN), infrastructure and capacity management (R-IMS), shipyard maintenance scheduling (DockForge), flight scheduling (FlightForge), manufacturing simulation (SimSource), logistics network design (HelioNet), and healthcare workforce scheduling (Synapse Scheduler), alongside technical integration services for the U.S. Marine Corps LogC2 modernization program.

Product overview

DEFCON AI offers a platform-plus-modules architecture featuring AI-powered execution platforms for complex operations under uncertainty. The portfolio consists of eight distinct products: ARTIV Air (air mission optimization), R-ALIGN (multi-modal logistics planning), R-IMS (infrastructure capacity management), DockForge (shipyard maintenance scheduling), FlightForge (flight scheduling), SimSource (manufacturing simulation and forecasting), HelioNet (logistics network design), and Synapse Scheduler (workforce scheduling). Additionally, DEFCON AI provides technical integration services for the U.S. Marine Corps LogC2 modernization. All products are powered by AI, mathematical optimization, and mission-grade software engineering, enabling planners and operators to evaluate multiple courses of action across defense, infrastructure, global supply chains, manufacturing, and healthcare sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ARTIV Air Cloud-native, time-dynamic optimization platform that enables airlift planners to rapidly generate and evaluate multiple mission scenarios for routing mission-critical cargo and personnel, balancing effectiveness, efficiency, and resiliency in contested environments.
• R-ALIGN (Resilient Analytics for Logistics and Inter-modal Global Networks) Cloud-native, time-sensitive optimization platform enabling logistics planners to rapidly model and evaluate global multimodal operations, balancing speed, resilience, and efficiency across air, sea, rail, and road movements in contested and dynamic environments for joint and coalition theaters.
• R-IMS (Resilient Infrastructure Management System) Decision-support platform providing real-time synchronized view of plant capacity, dependencies, and schedule risk through simulation and scenario analysis, helping planners assess delays, trace downstream impacts, and identify risk hotspots across complex project portfolios.
• DockForge Aggregate-level scheduling tool that optimizes assignment of complex maintenance jobs across dry docks and shipyards, using advanced algorithms to balance workload against dry dock availability and constraints and maximize shipyard throughput.
• FlightForge AI-driven flight scheduling platform that delivers mission-ready flight schedules in seconds using a high-speed optimization core, with real-time crew-to-sortie visibility that enables rapid, confident adjustments when disruptions occur.
• SimSource Advanced optimization, simulation, and forecasting platform for complex, nested scheduling under uncertainty in make-to-order manufacturing, maintaining a digital twin of the shop floor, enabling dynamic scheduling, and providing probabilistic forecasts.
• HelioNet Global logistics network design platform using advanced modeling and long-horizon optimization, helping enterprises identify optimal warehouse and hub locations, evaluate tariff and disruption scenarios, and balance efficiency with adaptability and sustainable growth.
• Synapse Scheduler AI-driven healthcare workforce scheduling platform using optimization, machine learning, and large language models to instantly generate workforce schedules that meet staffing needs and individual preferences, minimizing compliance risks, reducing costs, and preventing overstaffing or understaffing.
• USMC LogC2 Technical Integration Services Technical integration services for the U.S. Marine Corps Logistics Command and Control (LogC2) modernization program, including secure delivery pipeline (DevSecOps), software authorization pipelines, multi-vendor integration, and operational validation, aligned to Project Dynamis and JADC2.

Quantifiable outcome

• Airlift planning reduced from days to minutes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BigBear.aicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 July 2025BigBear.ai and DEFCON AI announced strategic collaboration on July 31, 2025, to co-develop next-generation AI-powered decision intelligence solutions for the U.S. military. The collaboration focuses on logistics and operational readiness in contested environments, utilizing modeling and simulation platforms to help defense agencies assess readiness and plan joint operations across land, air, sea, and cyber domains. DEFCON AI contributes its modeling sustainment capabilities for global operations, positioning BigBear.ai deeper in the U.S. defense ecosystem.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Anduril Industries: A leading U.S. defense-technology company building AI-powered autonomous systems and software for national security customers. Directly comparable to DEFCON AI as a venture-backed defense-AI prime contractor serving the same DoD buyer base with mission-critical software.
• BigBear.ai: Public defense-AI company specializing in decision intelligence and operational analytics for the U.S. military. Closely comparable to DEFCON AI's mission-grade AI/optimization offering; BigBear.ai is also DEFCON's announced strategic co-development partner as of July 2025.
• Shield AI: Defense-AI company building autonomous systems and intelligent software for military operations. Comparable to DEFCON AI as a venture-backed AI-first defense prime serving similar DoD customers with mission-grade software.
• Rebellion Defense: AI/ML software company building decision-support products for the U.S. military and intelligence community. Closely comparable to DEFCON AI's mission-tailored AI optimization platforms for defense operators.
• Epirus: Defense-technology company developing AI-enabled counter-electronics and directed-energy systems. Comparable as a Red Cell Partners portfolio company co-founded by Grant Verstandig, sharing the same venture studio DNA and DoD customer focus as DEFCON AI.

Regional players

• Helsing: European defense-AI company building AI-enabled capabilities for Western militaries. Comparable as a venture-backed defense-AI peer, but primarily serves European/NATO customers rather than U.S. DoD.

Broad incumbents

• Palantir Technologies: Established data-analytics and AI-software incumbent with deep DoD and intelligence-community relationships. Comparable as a broader defense/enterprise AI platform competitor with overlapping decision-support capabilities.
• C3.ai: Enterprise AI software platform company with defense and federal government customers. Comparable as a broader enterprise-AI platform with overlapping MLOps and decision-support capabilities, though C3.ai serves a much wider commercial base.
• Northrop Grumman: Major traditional defense prime contractor with deep JADC2 and logistics modernization programs. Comparable as a broader incumbent competitor in the same DoD programs (e.g., JADC2) that DEFCON AI is targeting, though with a vastly larger portfolio.

Emerging players

• Scale AI: AI data infrastructure company with a growing public-sector / Defense business unit. Comparable as a venture-backed AI provider expanding into defense applications, though Scale's core offering centers on data labeling rather than operational optimization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/defcon-ai
• Xx.com/defconai

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors3 records

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about DEFCON AI