This Paris Startup Just Raised $7.7M to Make Drone Detection Affordable

Jan de Vries · 2026-11-02

Drone detection is one of those problems that sounds simple until you look at the price tag. Legacy radar systems can cost millions, and that's if you can get them at all. Gallium Defence, a Paris-based startup, just emerged from stealth with a $7.7 million Seed round to change that equation. The round was led by Keen Venture Partners and 360 Capital, with Omnes Capital and Polytechnique Ventures also participating. The timing? European Defence Week 2026, held in Paris from November 2nd to 6th. ### The $7.7 Million Bet on Affordable Radar Gallium's pitch is straightforward: more than 80% of critical infrastructure sites and military assets are still exposed to modern drone threats. Not because the threat is new, but because affordable, field-ready radars that can handle the problem at scale simply don't exist. Gallium was founded in April 2026 by Eric Fournier, Florian Lemoine, and Robin Mandel—three people with serious defence and industrial backgrounds. Fournier spent 17 years advising defence and aerospace leaders at Boston Consulting Group. Lemoine has over 15 years in defence and served as a former adviser to NATO SACT. Mandel brings over 15 years across industry and consulting through roles at Thales, BCG, and Safran. > "Great defence starts with superior visibility. Gallium Defence has the team, the industrial partners and the cost model to make drone detection a standard layer at every critical site—the kind of European capability our fund is proud to back." — Alexander Ribbink, General Partner, Keen Venture Partners ### Meet the GDS-10: Radar That Doesn't Break the Bank Gallium's flagship product is the GDS-10, an X-band AESA radar with a software-defined, AI-native architecture. It's designed for dual use, with two versions: one for critical infrastructure operators and one for armed forces. The GDS-10 detects Class 1 and FPV drones at a range of 6.2 miles (10 km). It offers 360° azimuth coverage and 90° elevation coverage with no blind spots, and can track multiple drones simultaneously—even in a swarm—day or night, in all weather. Because it's software-defined, its capabilities can evolve as new threats emerge. "As drones proliferate, traditional radars are reaching their operational and economic limits," said Fournier, CEO and co-founder. "At Gallium Defence, we started from a blank sheet with a simple question, asked by operators in the field: how do you meet 80% of the need at 20% of the price? Our answer: a radically rethought AESA radar architecture that makes extensive use of commercial off-the-shelf components and the power of embedded computing." ### Built to Scale, Not to Sit in a Showroom The company is clear about its ambitions. "Our radars are designed to be manufactured and deployed by the hundreds, not one at a time," said Mandel, COO and co-founder. That mindset is already paying off. Just four months after closing its Seed round, Gallium conducted its first open-air field trials. The funding is being used to industrialise production of its first products, strengthen the team, train AI models, and run demonstrations for civil and military operators around the world. So what's next? With monthly field demonstrations underway, Gallium is positioning itself as the sovereign European answer for drone detection at scale. The company plans to open orders for the GDS-10 in the first quarter of 2027. If you're in the defence or critical infrastructure space, this is a name worth watching.