
Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech Landscape of the United States
4,481 Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech companies in the United States, in one picture: who is hiring, who is raising money, who founded them, where they are based, what the news is about, which skills employers want and where the research is going. Updated August 2026.
Who leads Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech in the United States
Shows the top 4,481 U.S. companies in the sector, highlighting which firms are hiring, which have recent funding rounds, and which are recognized as leaders in hiring, financing, and coverage.
- 01
Prescient Edge12last posted Jul 2026
- 02
EchoStar12last posted Jul 2026
- 03
Firestorm12last posted Jul 2026
- 04
Panasonic Avionics12last posted Jul 2026
- 05
Sierra Space12last posted Jul 2026
- 06
SpaceX12last posted Jul 2026
- 07
Terran Orbital12last posted Jul 2026
- 08
Anduril11last posted Jun 2026
- 01
SpaceX$12.1BSeries J · Mar 2026
- 02
Anduril$11.3BSeries H · May 2026
- 03
Shield AI$3.8BSeries G · Mar 2026
- 04
World View$2.7BSeries E · May 2025
- 05
Palantir$2.6BPost IPO · Aug 2023
- 06
Saronic$2.6BSeries D · Mar 2026
- 07
Sierra Space$2.3BSeries C · Mar 2026
- 08Gogo$2.3BPost IPO · Sep 2020
- 01
Pelicargo$21.2BFY2023 filing
- 02
Palantir$4.5Bsnapshot Dec 2025
- 03
EchoStar$3.7BFY2023 filing
- 04
ViaSat$1.2BFY2019 filing
- 05
Woodward$1.1BFY2022 filing
- 06
Maxar Technologies$419MFY2023 filing
- 07
AeroVironment$408MFY2026 filing
- 08
Mercury Systems$235.8MFY2013 filing
- 01
SpaceX13,612tracked employees
- 02
General Dynamics Mission Systems9,600tracked employees
- 03
Woodward8,300tracked employees
- 04
ViaSat6,800tracked employees
- 05
Maxar Technologies6,033tracked employees
- 06
Panasonic Avionics4,411tracked employees
- 07
ULA3,178tracked employees
- 08
Mercury Systems2,596tracked employees
- 01
Palantir11.2%623 tracked events
- 02
SpaceX8.8%486 tracked events
- 03
Joby Aviation5.6%310 tracked events
- 04
Archer3.7%205 tracked events
- 05
AeroVironment2.5%138 tracked events
- 06
EchoStar2.3%130 tracked events
- 07
Rocket Lab2.3%125 tracked events
- 08
Anduril2.2%123 tracked events
- 01
SpaceX25,218articles in the window
- 02
Blue Origin4,778articles in the window
- 03
CSI2,959articles in the window
- 04
Palantir2,138articles in the window
- 05
Axiom Space1,741articles in the window
- 06
ULA1,575articles in the window
- 07
Anduril1,408articles in the window
- 08
AeroVironment1,399articles in the window
See all 4,481 Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech companies in the United States
Filter by funding, headcount, hiring and location, and export the list.
How the Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech ecosystem in the United States grew, 2016–2025
Shows the number of companies founded each year from 2016 to 2025, with a peak of 253 new firms in 2016 and 40 in 2025.
Where Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech companies in the United States are based








The Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech market map of the United States: what these companies actually do
Breaks down the products these firms build, noting the largest sub‑categories such as enterprise tech (3,402) and deep tech (1,914), and the most common revenue models like subscription (1,843).
- Enterprise Tech3,402 companies · $85.8B raised · 408 hiring
- Deep Tech1,914 companies · $69.7B raised · 251 hiring
- Enterprise Software1,031 companies · $12.5B raised · 99 hiring
- SaaS718 companies · $12B raised · 82 hiring
- Consumer Digital684 companies · $7.5B raised · 30 hiring
- Travel and Hospitality SaaS279 companies · $800.1M raised · 20 hiring
- Commercial Drones240 companies · $2B raised · 23 hiring
- Green Transport188 companies · $8.6B raised · 30 hiring
- Drone Software178 companies · $866.8M raised · 13 hiring
- Marketplaces133 companies · $352.5M raised · 8 hiring
- Industry 4.0128 companies · $953.1M raised · 14 hiring
- Drone Peripherals113 companies · $766.2M raised · 12 hiring
Monetization
How Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech companies make money
How many companies earn revenue each way. Plenty use more than one model, so the counts add up to more than the sector.
Funding, M&A and the deals moving Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech in the United States
- FundingThe investment will fuel True Anomaly’s production of its Jackal spacecraft and its rapid-launch capabilities.2026-05-04
- FundingFirestorm has now raised a total of $129.5M in total equity funding and is backed by Booz Allen Ventures, Geodesic Capital, IQT, Litquidity Ventures, Lockheed Martin, Motley Fool Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, Ondas Networks, and Washington Harbour Partners.2026-05-04
- FundingUP Partners and Calm Ventures participated in a $160 million fundraise for Mountain View-based Reliable Robotics Corp.2026-05-04
- M&AYork’s March acquisition of Orbion Space Technology, a MI-based manufacturer of Hall-effect electric propulsion systems.2026-04-30
- M&AYork Space Systems ($YSS) plans to acquire terminal manufacturer ALL.SPACE for $355M, according to paperwork filed with the SEC yesterday.2026-04-30
- FundingSkydio has raised $110 million in Series F financing, led by existing investors, bringing the company’s valuation to $4.4 billion.2026-04-28
- FundingMaritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has awarded close to SGD 3.7 million (USD 2.9 million) in R&D co-funding to six companies, including Alicia Bots, C-Leanship, Neptune Robotics, Oceanis Robotics, RINA, and Seahi Robotics.2026-04-28
- IPOSatellite-based signals intelligence collection and analytics company HawkEye 360 on Monday launched its roadshow for its pending initial public offering (IPO) that aims to raise between $384 million and $424.2 million.2026-04-27
- FundingPleasant Grove-based Fortem Technologies a privately held, venture backed company that delivers ultra small C-SWAP radar to enable the autonomous revolution.2026-04-27
- M&AIf it decides not to proceed with the purchase, SpaceX will instead pay Cursor $10 billion over time for what it calls 'AI collaboration'.2026-04-23
Mergers and acquisitions
Deals from the last 24 months where a Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech company in the United States was the buyer or the one bought, newest first. “Undisclosed” means the price was never published — not that the deal was worth nothing.
| Acquirer | Target | Deal value | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| undisclosed | Announced | 2026-07-09 | ||
| undisclosed | Announced | 2026-07-06 | ||
| amazon | $11.6B | Pending | 2026-05-04 | |
| undisclosed | Announced | 2026-05-01 | ||
| $355M | Announced | 2026-04-30 | ||
| undisclosed | — | 2026-04-30 |
Who is listing, hiring leaders, launching and winning work
Details specific events such as IPO filings, leadership changes, product launches and contract wins for companies in the sector.
SpaceXIPO · Nasdaq · SPAX.PVT · 24 reportsMay 2026
HawkEye 360IPO · New York Stock Exchange · HAWK · 3 reportsApr 2026
PalantirDirect Listing · NASDAQ · PLTR · 10 reportsApr 2026
SwarmerIPO · NASDAQ · SWMR · 4 reportsApr 2026
Firefly AerospaceIPO · NASDAQ · FLY · 28 reportsMar 2026
York Space SystemsIPO · NYSE · YSS · 3 reportsMar 2026
Karman Space & DefenseIPO · NYSE · KRMN · 3 reportsFeb 2026
Starfighters SpaceIPO · NYSE American · FJET · 3 reportsJan 2026
AudacyWalker · Appointment → Board MemberApr 2026
AudacyGabe · Appointment → Board MemberApr 2026
AudacyBrotman · Appointment → Board MemberApr 2026
EpirusAndy Lowery · Appointment → Chief Executive OfficerApr 2026
Honeywell AerospaceBill Ayer · Appointment → Board MemberApr 2026
Honeywell AerospaceCraig Arnold · Appointment → Independent Chairman of the BoardApr 2026
Honeywell AerospaceJim Currier · Appointment → Board MemberApr 2026
Wheels UpTimothy Armstrong · Retirement — was Independent DirectorApr 2026
Rocket LabGauss thruster (Electric propulsion satellite thruster)Apr 2026
PalantirChain Reaction (Operating System)Apr 2026
GlobalstarXCOM RAN (Private 5G system)Apr 2026
OpenTugBargeOS Invoice Intelligence (Logistics platform)Mar 2026
OpenTugInvoice Intelligence (Voyage Management Platform)Mar 2026
Techmer PMEvacuTech solutions (Polymer additives)Mar 2026
Techmer PMNIR‑sortable black color technologies (Polymer additives)Mar 2026
Corvus RoboticsCorvus One for Cold Chain (Autonomous inventory management system)Feb 2026
Audacyscale undisclosed · cost reductionMar 2026
SpaceX~8 roles reported · retaliatoryFeb 2026
ZeroAvia~50% of workforce reported · funding constraintsJan 2026
ForeFlightscale undisclosedJan 2026
Blue Origin~10% of workforce reported · cost reductionOct 2025
EchoStar~500 roles reported · cost reductionSep 2025
SpaceXdismissed opposition — FCCApr 2026
AST & Scienceapproved for direct-to-cell service and 248-satellite constellation — FCCApr 2026
SpaceXdropping charges against SpaceX — National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)Apr 2026
Starfighters Space — U.S. Securities and Exchange CommissionApr 2026
- joby aviation v Archer Aviationtrade secret theft and corporate espionage · FiledApr 2026
- Archer Aviation v joby aviationFraud, misrepresentation, and customs mislabeling allegations · FiledApr 2026
Half of these companies grew revenue faster than +22.3%, half slower.
Who is building Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech in the United States
Profiles 2,278 founders and CEOs across 1,739 firms, noting frequent alma maters (Stanford 76, MIT 65) and prior employers (Google 16, Microsoft 11).
Co-Founder SpaceX, Neuralink & The Boring, ex-Co-Founder PayPal.
Ex-Terradepth, Liquid Robotics. Lehigh University BSc 2011, Dartmouth College ME 2012
Gogo Business Aviation, ex-Gogo, ex-Ncr
Founder Cover, Archer, ex-Vettery, Various Startups. University of Florida 2008
Ex-Founder Joby, Co-Founder & CEO Velocity11, Incyte. University of California BS 1995, Stanford University 1997
World Economic Forum, The White House, ex-The White House, BLUE ORIGIN, Masten Space Systems. University of Southern California BS 2012 & MS 2013
Ex-BLUE ORIGIN. Cornell University BS 2004, University of Michigan PhD 2009
Ex-Planet Labs, Space Frontier Foundation, Sierra Nevada Corporation · Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2011
Planet Labs, ex-Nasa Headquarters, ex-Nasa Ames Research Center, Georgetown University, 2005
- flagged as repeat founders20
- no repeat-founder flag1,855
- women157
- men1,940
Look up the people behind Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech companies in the United States
Search founders, executives and operators by company, role and location.
Who funds Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech in the United States
Records 2,473 funding rounds since 2016 from 2,029 investors, with a typical round size of $3.3 million.
| Investor · most active investors since 2016 | Rounds | Led | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Y Combinator | 95 | 30 | Jan 2026 |
| NASA | 93 | — | Mar 2026 |
| Techstars | 61 | 26 | Jan 2026 |
| OSTI | 54 | — | Nov 2025 |
| Andreessen Horowitz | 51 | 19 | May 2026 |
| Lockheed Martin | 38 | 11 | Apr 2026 |
| National Science Foundation | 38 | 1 | Apr 2025 |
| Lux Capital | 34 | 6 | Mar 2026 |
| Europa | 32 | — | Jul 2023 |
| America’s Seed Fund | 27 | — | Jul 2024 |
The typical round is $3.3M — half were bigger, half smaller.
The biggest Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech funding rounds in the United States
Highlights the largest disclosed round—Anduril’s $5 billion Series H—and lists ten other large recent rounds.
| Company | Round | Size | When | Backers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series Hmega-round | $5B | May 2026 | Thrive Capital, Andreessen Horowitz | |
| Series Emega-round | $2.6B | May 2025 | — | |
| Series Gmega-round | $2.5B | Jun 2025 | Founders Fund | |
| Series Gmega-round | $2B | Mar 2026 | Advent International, JPMorgan Chase, Snowpoint Ventures +5 more | |
| Series Jmega-round | $1.9B | Aug 2020 | Legendary Ventures | |
| Series Dmega-round | $1.8B | Mar 2026 | Kleiner Perkins, Advent International, Bessemer Venture Partners +7 more | |
| Series Jmega-round | $1.7B | May 2022 | — | |
| Series Jmega-round | $1.7B | Jun 2022 | Mirae Asset, Space.VC, Kinetic | |
| Series Fmega-round | $1.5B | Aug 2024 | Founders Fund, Sands Capital, Fidelity Investments +4 more | |
| Series Emega-round | $1.5B | Dec 2022 | Peter Thiel, Valor Equity Partners, Founders Fund +14 more |
451 venture rounds with a disclosed amount in the window.
Series H$5BMay 2026
Series E$300MMay 2026
Conventional Debt$155MMay 2026
Series A$65MMay 2026
Series A$18MMay 2026
Series DundisclosedMay 2026
SeedundisclosedMay 2026
Series D$650MApr 2026
What the news says about Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech in the United States
Counts 357,523 news articles in the last year, most often covering international politics, security policies, military technology, and cybersecurity topics.
What the coverage is about
The subjects that dominate Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech news in United States. The arrow shows whether each one is being written about more or less than a year ago.
- International political relations31,562▲+28%
- Security and defense policies28,211▲+34%
- Military technology advancements26,450▲+72%
- Cybersecurity and cyber warfare23,241▲+74%
- New product launches and innovations21,671▲+17%
- Naval and aerial combat operations19,252▲+50%
- Strategic partnerships and collaborations18,846▲+16%
- Lunar and martian exploration missions18,791▲+83%
- International relations and diplomacy18,005→+4%
- Technology adoption and digital transformation17,615▲+12%
- 25,218
- 4,778
- 2,959
- 2,138
- 1,741
- 1,575
- 1,408
- 1,399
- 1,209
- 1,072
348 Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech companies here were named in the news over this period.
Watch Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech coverage in United States as it happens
Prism follows these subjects story by story — which companies are named, what is said about them and how the tone moves.
Momentum
The words getting louder — and quieter
Which terms are showing up in more stories than a year ago, and which are fading. The percentage is the change in how many articles mention them.
The pressures the press keeps returning to
Three recurring angles in United States Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech coverage, and whether each is getting more attention year on year (through 2025).
Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech jobs in the United States: who is hiring and what they ask for
Shows 17,848 job postings from 535 employers in the past year, with top skills like Python and mechanical engineering and a median advertised salary of $120 k per year.
Demand
The Skills Employers Ask For
What Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech employers in the United States put in their job ads. The bar is how many postings ask for it; the arrow shows whether demand grew or shrank against the year before.
- python377▲
- excel249▲
- c++231▲
- sql141▲
- mechanical engineering140▲
- cad132▲
- linux128▲
- forklift127▲
- gd&t123▲
- typescript123▲
- Manager$132k/yr (n=530)
- Senior$141k/yr (n=544)
- Lead$154k/yr (n=141)
- Intern$63k/yr (n=37)
- 341
- 303
- 275
- 203
- 191
- 141
What Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech research in the United States is working on
Lists 1,518 papers from India‑affiliated institutions, categorizing them into identified problems (120), cautions (108) and opportunities (667).
United States-affiliated Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech literature runs 1.9× more “descriptive” than science at large (34.3% vs 17.7% baseline).
80% positive · 17% neutral · 2% negative, across 1,518 papers.
- 1k
- 752
- 664
- 640
- 587
- 515
ranked by how often their work is cited
Ping Lu · Vigor Yang · Paul Gradl · Stephen D. Heister · J. R. Hulka · M. J. Casiano · William A. Hargus · Matthew Fotia
- Entry Guidance: A Unified Method · 380 cites
- Nonadiabatic Flamelet Formulation for Predicting Wall Heat Transfer in Rocket Engines · 40 cites
- Robust, Practical Adaptive Control for Launch Vehicles · 32 cites
- Atomization and Dense-Fluid Breakup Regimes in Liquid Rocket Engines · 31 cites
- Two-Dimensional Modeling of Ablation and Pyrolysis with Application to Rocket Nozzles · 24 cites















Which of these themes are growing fastest
Tracks how the share of different research themes has changed globally from 2022 to 2025.
Go deeper on Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech research and innovation
Research themes, patent activity and the companies commercialising them, in one place.
Track Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech in the United States beyond this page
Radar finds and filters the companies. Prism watches what is being said about them.
Direct contact details for the people on this page are held in Fliar Radar, behind its own access controls.