{"title":"Shield AI vs Stark Defence: Defense & security compared","url":"https://www.frontiertechintelligence.com/compare/shield-ai-vs-stark-defence","comparison":"Shield AI ranks 77 on the Robotics 100 with a score of 80; Stark Defence ranks 84 with 79. Shield AI is ahead on commercials. Level on deployment, production, progress, technology, positioning, firepower and leverage. Shield AI is based in San Diego, United States, Stark Defence in Berlin, Germany. Shield AI: Established. Shield AI is named in 46 signals and Stark Defence in 2.","companies":[{"name":"Shield AI","url":"https://www.frontiertechintelligence.com/companies/shield-ai","city":"San Diego","country":"United States","stage":"Established","founded":null,"last_round":null,"positioning":"Shield AI is a US defense-autonomy company whose V-BAT drone is deployed with the Coast Guard, Netherlands, Romania, Indonesia, and Japan, with ~$300M revenue in the year ending March 2025 and guidance above $540M for FY26 (+80%). It raised a $1.5B Series G at a $12.7B valuation in March 2026, had its Hivemind software selected for the Air Force CCA program (running on General Atomics and Anduril airframes), and won a $198M Coast Guard IDIQ at 100% on KPPs. An Aechelon acquisition is pending, and it has a GE Aerospace engine partnership.","assessed_in":{"domain":"Robotics","list":"Robotics 100","rank":77,"score":80,"tier":"member","scores":{"leverage":8,"position":8,"progress":10,"firepower":10,"commercial":8,"deployment":6,"production":6,"technology":8},"why":"Shield AI develops and deploys autonomous military aircraft and drones, including V-BAT and X-BAT, for ISR and other defense missions. Its systems also support counter-drone operations through Tracker C-UAS.","segment":"Defense & security","layer":"Systems"},"signals_total":46,"facts_total":29},{"name":"Stark Defence","url":"https://www.frontiertechintelligence.com/companies/stark-defence","city":"Berlin","country":"Germany","stage":null,"founded":null,"last_round":null,"positioning":"Stark Defence is a German maker of the Virtus loitering munition (a 10-minute assembly, deployed in Ukraine) with production in Germany, Ukraine, Sweden, Greece, and a UK plant opened in 2025. It raised a EUR 500M round in June 2026 at a >EUR 3.5B valuation (Sequoia and Founders Fund lead, EUR 660M+ total) and won initial Bundeswehr contracts (~EUR 269M, February 2026) under a framework up to EUR 1B. Revenue is estimated at 10-100m (not disclosed).","assessed_in":{"domain":"Robotics","list":"Robotics 100","rank":84,"score":79,"tier":"member","scores":{"gate_ne":["technology","firepower"],"leverage":8,"position":8,"progress":10,"firepower":10,"commercial":6,"deployment":6,"production":6,"technology":8},"why":"Stark Defence supplies counter-UAS systems against autonomous and remotely operated aerial threats, including through a partnership with INLEAP Photonics for German defense.","segment":"Defense & security","layer":"Systems"},"signals_total":2,"facts_total":4}],"note":"Assessment by Frontier Tech Intelligence; facts and signals carry their sources."}