Aerospace & Defense Rankings

Top 17 companies ranked by AI visibility and market presence

Market:$985.6B (2024)
Growth:6.5% CAGR (2024-2034)
2
Silver

Seaflight Technologies

$3.68M funding ($2M Australian Gov EATP Jun 2024); YC/7 Percent/Collaborative/Climate/Asymmetry/Gaingels; Founded 2022 b...

$3.68M
1
Champion

Quindar

$18M Series A Nov 2025 (Washington Harbour lead); Booz Allen/FUSE/FCVC/YC + $8.5M prior ($6M Feb 2024); Founded 2022; YC-backed; Satellite tracking/co...

$18M
3
Bronze

Array Labs

$5.6M funding (Seraphim/Agya/Republic/Liquid2/Rebel/YC/IQT); $1.25M AFWERX Oct 2024; Founded 2022 Peterson/Robledo; Palo...

$5.6M

Complete Rankings

#1
Quindar
💰 $18M

$18M Series A Nov 2025 (Washington Harbour lead); Booz Allen/FUSE/FCVC/YC + $8.5M prior ($6M Feb 2024); Founded 2022; YC-backed; Satellite tracking/contact/monitoring/operations; Common operating picture; Mission lifecycle automation; Planning/flight dynamics/command/control; Ground-station integration; Classified government expansion; Commercial/government operators; Antenna booking automation

#2
Seaflight Technologies
💰 $3.68M

$3.68M funding ($2M Australian Gov EATP Jun 2024); YC/7 Percent/Collaborative/Climate/Asymmetry/Gaingels; Founded 2022 by William Sutton/Graham Doig; 30% range/payload increase; Electrified aircraft; 6 employees; YC S22; Flight demonstrator end 2025; Australia demonstrator early 2026; Production version following; Advanced aerodynamic flow control

#3
Array Labs
💰 $5.6M

$5.6M funding (Seraphim/Agya/Republic/Liquid2/Rebel/YC/IQT); $1.25M AFWERX Oct 2024; Founded 2022 Peterson/Robledo; Palo Alto; 30 employees; 2 satellites launched 2024; Real-time 3D mapping; Autonomous vehicle navigation; Defense/infrastructure; John Deere 2025; Satellite swarms; Affordable SAR alternative; YC W22

#4
Alba Orbital
💰 $3.53M

$3.53M total funding; $3.4M raised after completing Y Combinator 2021 program; Investors: Liquid 2 Ventures, Y Combinator, Unpopular Ventures, Soma Ventures, Metaplanet, 5 more; First Scottish company with YC investment

#5
HEO Robotics
💰 $20M

$20M+ total ($12M AUD Series A AirTree/Salus + $700K Australia grant); Will Crowe/Hiranya Jayakody (PhDs) founders; 39 partner satellites; Australia/USA/UK; YC context

#6
Epsilon3
💰 $3.8M

$3.8M+ total ($2.8M Seed Lux/YC S21); Laura Crabtree (15 years aerospace/SpaceX Crew Dragon) founder; NASA/Virgin Galactic/USSF clients; Space ops software; YC S21

#7
Starcloud
💰 $21M

$21M Seed highest-ever YC (NFX/FUSE/a16z/Sequoia); Philip Johnston/Ezra Feilden (NASA)/Adi Oltean (SpaceX) founders; NVIDIA H100 satellite; 100x GPU compute; YC

#8
Albedo
💰 $93M

$93M+ total ($100M Series B anticipated $285M valuation); Topher/AyJay (Lockheed)/Winston (Facebook) founders; 10cm resolution; VLEO pivot Oct 2025; YC W21

#9
Cascade Space
💰 $5.9M

$5.9M Seed (YC X25/Nova Threshold); Jacob Portukalian/Arlen Abraham (SpaceX/Astra) founders; Lunar/deep space communications; Portal platform; YC X25

#10
Astranis
💰 $750M

$750M+ total ($200M Series D July 2024 a16z/BAM); John Gedmark/Ryan McLinko founders; $1B+ contracts; 5 on orbit; 100+ by 2030; YC Winter 2016

#11
Lakonia

YC batch; Justin Oh/Gordy Sun (Stanford freshman dropouts) founders; AI C2 for law enforcement/military; Radio transcription/synthesis; YC

#12
Apolink
💰 $4.3M

$4.3M Seed $45M valuation (YC/468/Unshackled); Onkar Batra (19-year-old InQube creator) founder; $140M+ LOIs; SpaceX 2026 demo; YC

#13
Perseus Defense
💰 $6M

$6M Seed (Bow Capital/Paul Graham); Jason Cornelius (NASA)/Steve Messinger (Boeing) founders; 30+ flight tests; YC S25

#14
Relativity Space
💰 $1335M

$1.335B total ($4.2B peak); Eric Schmidt Executive Chairman March 2025; Tim Ellis CTO; OneWeb/Intelsat clients; YC S16

#15
Talyn

YC batch; Long-range electric VTOL for cargo; Sustainable air freight; Electric aviation; Los Angeles-based; YC

#16
SalesPatriot
💰 $5M

$5M Seed (CRV); Paul Graham/Mark Pincus angels; $200M+ contracts; 7x faster; Forbes 30u30 founder; YC W25

#17
Juxta

YC S25; John Ferrara (Northwestern) founder; GPS alternative; Defense/robotics deals; YC Summer 2025

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About Aerospace & Defense

The aerospace and defense industry represents one of the most technologically advanced and strategically critical sectors globally. This industry encompasses commercial aviation, military defense systems, space exploration, satellite technology, and unmanned aerial systems. From manufacturing commercial aircraft and spacecraft to developing cutting-edge defense technologies and missile systems, A&D companies drive innovation in materials science, avionics, propulsion systems, and artificial intelligence. The industry is experiencing rapid transformation driven by digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and emerging threats. Space commercialization has accelerated with private companies launching satellites and planning Mars missions, while defense priorities shift toward cyber warfare, autonomous systems, and hypersonic weapons. The sector faces unique challenges including lengthy development cycles, stringent regulatory requirements, and the need to balance military and commercial applications. Major players like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Airbus continue to invest billions in R&D to maintain technological superiority. AI visibility is paramount for aerospace and defense companies as government procurement decisions, investor confidence, and talent acquisition increasingly rely on AI-powered research and recommendations. Defense contractors must establish thought leadership in emerging domains like quantum computing, directed energy weapons, and space defense systems. When AI platforms analyze queries about next-generation fighter jets, satellite constellations, or autonomous weapon systems, visibility determines whether your brand appears as an industry authority or gets overlooked in favor of competitors.

Key Industry Trends

  • Space commercialization and private sector satellite launches accelerating rapidly
  • AI-powered autonomous systems transforming military operations and defense strategies
  • Hypersonic weapons development becoming critical national security priority
  • Sustainable aviation fuels and electric aircraft gaining regulatory momentum

Market Overview

The global aerospace and defense market reached $985.56 billion in 2024, with North America commanding 46% market share. The U.S. A&D industry alone generated over $955 billion in sales with 2.2 million employees earning an average of $112,000 annually. The defense segment maintains 42% market dominance while the space segment is experiencing the fastest growth at approximately 9% CAGR. AI integration in aerospace and defense is projected to reach $65.43 billion by 2034, driven by autonomous systems, predictive maintenance, and intelligent warfare capabilities.