via TechCrunch
Defense Tech Hadrian Raises $1.37B at $8B Valuation to Scale Automated Manufacturing
Defense technology company Hadrian announced on Thursday that it has raised $1.37 billion in a new funding round, valuing the firm at $7.87 billion. The round attracted a broad array of prominent investors, underscoring growing interest in modernizing the U.S. defense industrial base.
The Series D round was led by WCM Investment Management, Washington Harbour Partners, Valor Equity Partners, 137 Ventures, and Baillie Gifford. Additional participants included 1789 Capital, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, funds managed by Apollo and T. Rowe Price, as well as CapitalG, Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, Lux Capital, Altimeter, and others.
This latest raise builds on the company’s previous momentum. About a year ago, Hadrian closed a $260 million Series C round led by Founders Fund and Lux Capital, bringing total funding to date to roughly $2 billion, according to PitchBook data.
Unlike many defense tech startups focused on developing AI-powered weapons, Hadrian is taking a different approach. The company builds highly automated factories designed to mass-produce critical components for the military vehicles and systems the U.S. defense apparatus already relies on. By accelerating production throughput and reducing costs, Hadrian aims to address persistent supply-chain bottlenecks in the defense sector.
A notable example of its expansion came in March, when Hadrian opened a new facility in Alabama dedicated to producing parts for submarines. This marks the company's fourth facility and was established through a public-private partnership valued at $2.4 billion, as reported by Hadrian. The Alabama site will support the Columbia- and Virginia-class submarine programs, which are central to U.S. naval strategy.
As of 2026, Hadrian continues to expand its manufacturing footprint, with plans to replicate its model across other defense platforms. The fresh capital will likely accelerate the construction of additional automated factories and the integration of advanced robotics and AI-driven quality control systems.