Darkhive
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersSan Antonio, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
Darkhive firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Darkhive
- Legal name
- Darkhive Inc.
- Website
- https://darkhive.ai
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Darkhive industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Defense Unmanned Aircraft Systems
- NAICS
- Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)
- SIC
- Aircraft & Parts (3720), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Military Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) & Autonomous Aerial Platforms (IMABAMAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- UAS Integration, Certification & Compliance Systems (Remote ID, Detect-and-Avoid) (IMABAIAO)
Keywords
Where Darkhive is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Antonio
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Darkhive business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- DoD / Government Procurement Contracts: Darkhive derives revenue through direct procurement contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense and Pentagon agencies, including the $49.7M APFIT award and prior SBIR contracts. Revenue is project-based and milestone-driven, tied to delivery of drone hardware, software platforms, and advanced compute/connectivity capabilities.
- UAS Product Sales (Defense & Public Safety): Sale of low-cost autonomous drone hardware and associated software products to defense and public safety agencies.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
Darkhive product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Darkhive designs, develops, and sells low-cost autonomous uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) for defense and public safety reconnaissance missions. The company's core portfolio pairs open architecture reconnaissance drones with a proprietary software platform that enables secure code delivery to UAS fleets. All products are delivered to U.S. Department of Defense agencies and allied public safety organizations through direct procurement contracts.
Product overview
Darkhive offers a dual-product portfolio centered on open architecture Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS). The core offering consists of reconnaissance drones paired with a proprietary secure code delivery software platform. These products work together to enable UAS fleet management with enhanced cybersecurity capabilities for defense and public safety applications. The company specializes in low-cost, autonomous drone technology with software-defined, rapidly adaptable mission systems.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Reconnaissance Drones Autonomous uncrewed aircraft systems designed for reconnaissance missions in defense and public safety applications. The drones feature an open architecture design for flexibility and rapid adaptation to mission requirements, and are sold to U.S. DoD agencies and government public safety customers.
- Secure Code Delivery Platform Proprietary software platform that enables secure code delivery to uncrewed aircraft systems, supporting UAS fleet management and cybersecurity. Sold to defense and public safety customers operating Darkhive UAS fleets.
Quantifiable outcome
- Awarded the largest single contract in APFIT program history ($49.7M), demonstrating competitive positioning against other defense technology firms.
Companies that use Darkhive
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Darkhive technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Darkhive partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Darkhive competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Anduril Industries: Anduril is a leading U.S. defense technology company building autonomous UAS and software-defined defense systems (Lattice, Ghost, Roadrunner), competing with Darkhive for DoD autonomous systems and secure software platform contracts.
- Shield AI: Shield AI develops AI-piloted autonomous UAS (V-BAT, Hivemind) for defense and security customers, directly comparable to Darkhive's autonomous reconnaissance drone and mission-system software approach.
- Skydio: Skydio manufactures autonomous small UAS (X10, X2D) with a major defense and public safety business, competing head-to-head with Darkhive for short-range autonomous reconnaissance and situational awareness programs.
- Teal Drones (Red Cat Holdings): Teal Drones, operating under Red Cat Holdings, builds small autonomous defense and public safety UAS (Teal 2, Black Widow), competing with Darkhive for U.S. Army and security agency short-range reconnaissance programs.
Broad incumbents
- AeroVironment: AeroVironment is a publicly traded incumbent manufacturer of small tactical UAS (Switchblade, Puma, Raven) supplying the U.S. DoD, competing with Darkhive for small-UAS procurement while also operating a much broader portfolio of loitering munitions and aviation services.
- Kratos Defense & Security Solutions: Kratos is a public defense prime producing tactical and target UAS (XQ-58 Valkyrie, MQM-178 Firejet) and related mission systems, providing a broader-portfolio incumbent comparable to Darkhive's software-defined mission systems offering.
- General Atomics Aeronautical Systems: General Atics is a major defense prime producing medium-altitude long-endurance UAS (MQ-9 Reaper, MQ-1C Gray Eagle) and advanced mission compute, a broader incumbent in the autonomous military UAS market where Darkhive competes.
- Northrop Grumman: Northrop Grumman is a top-tier U.S. defense prime with a portfolio spanning large autonomous UAS (RQ-4 Global Hawk), mission systems, and secure communications, making it a broad incumbent competitor for DoD autonomous systems spend.
Emerging players
- Auterion Government Solutions: Auterion provides an open-architecture drone software platform (Auterion OS, Skynode) adopted by multiple U.S. DoD programs, overlapping with Darkhive's secure code delivery and UAS fleet management software layer.
- Performance Drone Works (PDW): PDW builds small autonomous tactical UAS (C100) for U.S. Army and special operations customers, comparable to Darkhive's low-cost autonomous reconnaissance drone positioning for defense and public safety.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Darkhive social profiles
Digital presenceDarkhive financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Darkhive leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Darkhive funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors10 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Darkhive M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Darkhive
What does Darkhive do?
Darkhive designs, develops, and sells low-cost autonomous uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) for defense and public safety reconnaissance missions. The company's core portfolio pairs open architecture reconnaissance drones with a proprietary software platform that enables secure code delivery to UAS fleets. All products are delivered to U.S. Department of Defense agencies and allied public safety organizations through direct procurement contracts.
Is Darkhive a public or private company?
Darkhive is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Darkhive founded?
Darkhive was founded in 2021. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Darkhive based?
Darkhive is headquartered in San Antonio, United States, in the North America region.
How does Darkhive make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. DoD / Government Procurement Contracts are the primary driver. The others are UAS Product Sales (Defense & Public Safety).
Who are Darkhive's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Anduril Industries, Shield AI, Skydio and Teal Drones (Red Cat Holdings). Broad incumbents are AeroVironment, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and Northrop Grumman. Emerging players are Auterion Government Solutions and Performance Drone Works (PDW).
Does Darkhive have an API?
No public API is recorded for Darkhive.
What industry is Darkhive in?
Darkhive's product category is Defense Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABAMAC, Military Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) & Autonomous Aerial Platforms, with a secondary code of IMABAIAO, UAS Integration, Certification & Compliance Systems (Remote ID, Detect-and-Avoid). Its NAICS code is 334511 and its SIC code is 3720.