Palmer Luckey & Ben Lamm Raise $200M for New Startup Hard Tech Headlines: - @goformic has secured $50M in growth funding, including a Series B led by Mercato Partners. The startup operates robots across more than 100 facilities in over 30 U.S. states, offering robotics-as-a-service for manufacturing tasks across industries including aerospace, defense, energy, and medical devices. - @Wing has begun drone delivery operations for Walmart across the Charlotte metro area, launching from Walmart Supercenters. - SGE SMR UK and Origin Nuclear have announced plans to establish a joint venture to operate 14 BWRX-300 nuclear reactors in the United Kingdom. - @longwalldefense has secured a $75M award from the Missile Defense Agency for further flight testing of its low-cost interceptors. - Wildcat Defense is acquiring Wisconsin-based shipbuilder Fraser Industries, with plans to invest $350M in manufacturing expansion. Fraser serves customers including the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Navy. - @Nord_Space has secured a $20M contract with Canada's Department of National Defence to support critical space launch infrastructure in Canada. - HD Hyundai and Kiewit are reportedly in discussions to establish a joint venture focused on developing a new shipbuilding facility in the United States. - Xona Space Systems has secured a $250M Series D round led by Future Ventures. The startup also launched six new satellites this week, with four expected to enter service in 2027. - Palmer Luckey and @BenLamm have launched Warhound with $200M in funding to develop genetically enhanced dogs for critical missions in law enforcement, defense, and emergency response, with a focus on canine safety and health, according to TechCrunch. - Mojo Vision has secured $24.4M in U.S. government funding to advance microLED technology critical for military augmented reality systems. - Peak Energy has secured a $108M Series B round led by General Motors Ventures. The Bay Area startup develops sodium-ion energy storage technology for grid-scale applications. - @HadrianInc has begun bringing manufacturing equipment into its F4 factory in Cherokee, Alabama, which is being developed to support the U.S. submarine industrial base. - U.S. Army xTech has announced nine finalists for its autonomous logistics competition, focused on critical resupply missions in contested environments. Finalists include Swarmbotics AI, Ark Robotics, BlueSky Innovations, Cyborg Autonomy, Dataspeed, Hypercraft, Phenix Solutions, Raptor Defense Company, and Stridar. - Momentum Global Ventures is deploying $50M in the second half of 2026 into critical minerals, renewable fuels, and pollution control technologies. - @Helion_Energy has signed an agreement for up to $175M in proposed CHIPS Act funding to develop and manufacture next-generation, high-voltage semiconductors for fusion energy. GlobalFoundries will support semiconductor research and development through a collaboration with Helion.

Humanoid Robots Deployed in Agricultural Manufacturing Hard Tech Headlines: - @TheNuclearCo has announced the potential development of a large-scale nuclear campus in Kentucky that could house up to six Westinghouse AP1000 reactors, producing 6.6 GW of electricity. If fully constructed, the development would be the largest nuclear power campus in America. - Seaspan Vancouver Shipyards, one of Canada’s largest shipbuilders, has launched a corporate venture capital arm to invest in defense and maritime startups in the country. - The largest security robot fleet in the U.S. has reportedly been deployed in metro Atlanta, according to Undaunted. The robotic security startup says it has deployed 100+ security robots to patrol apartment complexes and commercial properties. - @WECNuclear is deploying $1B to construct America’s most advanced nuclear fuel factory, which will produce low-enriched uranium plus (LEU+) fuel. - @agilityrobotics has secured a deal with AGCO, the major agricultural machinery manufacturer, to pilot humanoid robots at AGCO's Kansas production facility beginning in 2027. - @stelliostech has secured a $5M pre-seed round. The Austin, Texas-based startup is developing high-power energy systems for applications such as C-UAS, propulsion, and aneutronic fusion, securing $2M in customer orders thus far. - @LazarusEnergy, the LA startup, has successfully generated power using its supercritical CO₂ turbine, which could eventually provide critical power for facilities such as data centers. - BAE Systems has successfully tested a modified logistics drone equipped with laser-guided rockets that intercepted multiple one-way attack drones during a U.S. military exercise. - Reliable Robotics Corporation has successfully conducted demonstration flights of a remotely piloted Cessna cargo aircraft in New Mexico. - NVIDIA introduces forward-deployable, containerized modular AI data centers. The company announced DSX POD, a factory-manufactured modular data center design intended to reduce deployment times from six months to as little as 14 days at prepared sites. The systems feature pre-integrated computing, networking, cabling, and liquid cooling. - Hewlett Packard Enterprise has announced plans to deploy its HPE Spaceborne Computer-4 to the Moon to conduct lunar computing operations. - Bison Ventures has secured $160M for its second fund. The San Francisco-based venture capital firm invests in pre-seed to Series B startups across sectors including energy, biology, manufacturing, and food technology. - @anatar demonstrated its automated T-shirt production line at the Manufacturing Solutions Center II in Conover, North Carolina, marking its first public demonstration. - @NatilusAero secured a $3.5M U.S. Air Force award focused on further developing its regional freighter for contested logistics missions, with a payload capacity of nearly 8,000 pounds and a range of 800 nautical miles.

BREAKING: Anduril and the Australian Government have confirmed that Ghost Shark, an extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle (XL-AUV), can deploy drone swarms, sea mines, air-launched effects, and underwater logistics payloads. Ghost Sharks are being manufactured in New South Wales, Australia, with payload testing underway. Australia’s Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy, stated: "Ghost Shark is a flagship Australian success story that showcases the ingenuity of our defence industry and the value of investing in sovereign capability. Our Government opened this factory less than a year ago and Ghost Sharks capable of a range of complex missions operating far from our shores are now rolling off the line at an increasing rate into the hands of the Australian Navy."

U.S. Scales Rare Earth Processing Hard Tech Headlines: - @RadiantNuclear will deploy its 1 MW Kaleidos factory-built nuclear microreactor at Naval Weapons Station Crane in Indiana to provide continuous power. The reactor can be transported by air, sea, or land. - @geckorobotics has secured an expanded U.S. Navy contract worth up to $300M, focused on robotic inspections of ships and submarines. - Helicon has exited stealth and secured a $16.5M seed round led by @alley_corp. The Torrance-based startup is focused on highly automated composite part production for platforms such as fixed-wing drones, humanoids, and unmanned ground vehicles. - @PhoenixTailings is deploying $375M to build a rare earth separation facility in Rochester, New York. The facility has a target processing capacity of over 18,000 tons of rare earth feedstock annually. - @reservoirfarms, the on-farm accelerator, has announced an expansion into south-central Washington, with initial agtech deployments focused on tree fruit and blueberries. @noxmetals, the YC-backed manufacturing startup, says it has reached a $25M annualized revenue run rate in under a year. The Detroit-based company is automating metal cutting and supply for the American industrial base. - Reaction Dynamics has announced a Canadian-made medium-lift launch vehicle with a payload capacity of 13,228 pounds, targeting its first orbital launch in 2031. - Electric Plant Company has launched from stealth and secured an $11.2M seed round. The startup is developing AI foundation models that interpret electrical signals inside plants to assess their health. The company already has hundreds of sensors deployed across commercial sites. - TEKEVER has delivered a heavy-lift drone to the German Army for testing in contested logistics operations. - GMEX has partnered with MediaMeta to explore the development of robotic dog grooming and washing stations in the U.S., targeting a commercial market with limited robotic adoption. - @EkaRobotics has secured a $150M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz. The startup is developing general-purpose robotic manipulation systems for tasks such as picking and packing, claiming speeds of 1,500 picks per hour compared to a human baseline of 600. - Skyfly Technologies has secured a $10M seed round led by HICO Investment Group, a growth equity firm. The British startup is developing a two-seat electric VTOL aircraft for the consumer market, alongside an unmanned variant for contested military logistics. - The U.S. Navy has successfully demonstrated remote control of a Boeing MQ-25A aerial refueling drone from an aircraft carrier over 2,100 miles away, using a satellite network to transmit commands to the drone. - @SyberJetAero has unveiled the SJ36, a new light business jet targeting speeds of Mach 0.88, a range of 3,000 nautical miles, and a maximum operating altitude of 49,000 feet, potentially enabling nonstop flights from Los Angeles to Hawaii. - @ElbitSystemsLtd has acquired ISE, a Vancouver-based company that develops underwater robots, with over 50 years of experience in subsea operations. - The @boringcompany has developed underground unmanned freight transportation utilizing a modified Prufrock Liner Truck to move 20-foot shipping containers. - @K9DefenseTech has secured a prime contract with the U.S. Army to deliver its Exodus-L tactical small drones (sUAS), which are now reportedly fielded with Army infantry units.

BREAKING: The U.S. Navy is moving to deploy nuclear microreactors. Radiant will deploy its 1 MW Kaleidos factory-built nuclear microreactor at Naval Weapons Station Crane in Indiana to provide continuous power. The reactor can be transported by air, sea, or land.