Seeing Systems
Builds modular AI-commanded strike drones and swarm-control software for military buyers.
On the record
Checkpoint: Next major UK/NATO drone procurement allocation round
The call
Seeing Systems is chasing a validated defence-tech gap that two much larger, better-funded rivals are already filling with combat-deployed products.
Seeing Systems makes software that lets a single pilot control multiple drones at once, which NATO and European militaries say they need. The company is young and tiny (2 people, $500K raised), but its two main rivals, Helsing and Anduril, are huge, well-funded, and already selling similar products to militaries. Both rivals have real combat data from their drones in use and billions of dollars to outspend Seeing Systems on manufacturing and development. The one thing that could change everything: if Seeing Systems' prototype works well in actual combat in Ukraine over the next few months, militaries might choose it anyway, just like they picked other underdogs before.
Why
01
AI pressure: Anduril's Lattice software. Anduril's Lattice already runs agentic multi-drone control in the field, closing the exact one-operator-many-drones gap Seeing Systems is building toward. Could AI do the core job? Only partly.
02
Bigger players: Helsing. Helsing raised $1.8B in July 2026 and fields combat-deployed HX-2 hardware, chasing the same wedge with far deeper pockets. Could a giant copy it? Yes, easily.
03
What protects it. A jam-resistant, fibre-optic-guided modular design tested in Ukraine could carve out a niche if field results hold up, but that is not yet shown.
What would change this call
UK/NATO's next major counter-drone procurement award (post-Watchkeeper) names its winner. Shows whether Seeing Systems is a real contender or sidelined again as with Tekever's win.
Seeing Systems announces a Series A round with disclosed dollar amount. Would show it can fund hardware manufacturing at the scale Helsing and Anduril already have.
Independent or MoD-confirmed field results from Ukraine on Banshee's jam-resistant module. Would show whether its core technical claim holds up against Helsing/Anduril in contested conditions.
Seeing Systems announces a Series A round with disclosed dollar amount. Would show it can fund hardware manufacturing at the scale Helsing and Anduril already have.
Independent or MoD-confirmed field results from Ukraine on Banshee's jam-resistant module. Would show whether its core technical claim holds up against Helsing/Anduril in contested conditions.
Key numbers
- Helsing raised $1.8B Series E at $18B valuation
- Anduril valued around $30.5B with Lattice shipping
- Seeing Systems lists 2 employees per YC directory
Named risks
- Two-person team facing capital-intensive hardware manufacturing at NATO scale with minimal funding.
- All customer and contract claims are vendor-sourced and unconfirmed by MoD or NATO.
- Lost the marquee UK Watchkeeper contract to Tekever in July 2026, narrowing near-term procurement window.
- Better-capitalized rivals Helsing and Anduril pursue the identical agentic multi-drone control roadmap.
- Battlefield validation of prototypes shipped to Ukraine remains unconfirmed and could reveal performance failures.
Rivals, as read in July 2026
| Rival | Direction | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Helsing | losing to | Helsing closed $1.8B Series E at $18B valuation July 13, 2026, dwarfing Seeing Systems' resources |
| Anduril | losing to | Anduril already ships Lattice agentic multi-drone control at ~$30.5B valuation as of mid-2026 |
| Tekever | losing to | Tekever won UK MoD Watchkeeper replacement contract worth up to £400M, July 20, 2026 |
| WB Group (Poland) | contesting | WB Group contracted to supply 10,000 Warmate 3.0 drones to Ukraine by 2035, per Jan 2026 report |
Questions people ask
- Is Seeing Systems profitable?
- No. Seeing Systems is a two-person, London-based startup in Y Combinator's W26 batch with no confirmed revenue disclosed as of mid-2026. It is still at prototype stage with products like Bandit and Banshee, and monetization would come from future hardware sales, not current profit.
- Could Seeing Systems compete with Anduril?
- It faces a steep climb. Anduril is valued near $30.5 billion and already ships Lattice, an agentic multi-drone command layer, while Seeing Systems has around 2 employees as of July 2026 and no confirmed contracts, pursuing the identical agentic-control concept with far less capital.
- Who are Seeing Systems' main competitors?
- Its closest rivals are Helsing, which closed a $1.8 billion Series E at an $18 billion valuation on July 13, 2026, and Anduril, valued near $30.5 billion with its Lattice system already shipping. Tekever also competes directly in UK drone procurement.
- Did Seeing Systems win the UK Watchkeeper drone contract?
- No. The UK Ministry of Defence selected Tekever's AR5 drone for the Watchkeeper replacement, a deal worth up to 400 million pounds, announced the week of July 20, 2026. Seeing Systems was not the chosen contractor for this program.
- What products does Seeing Systems make?
- Seeing Systems builds the Bandit strike drone (30+ km range, 1.5kg payload, 115 km/h speed), the Banshee modular jamming-resistant drone with a fibre-optic-guided module, and Aerie AI, its agentic software for one-operator multi-drone control, per the company's own site as of July 2026.
- Does Seeing Systems have real military contracts?
- The company itself claims relationships with UK Royal Marine Commandos, other UK units, and four unnamed NATO forces, plus Ukraine prototype testing, per Y Combinator's company page. These are vendor-claimed and have not been confirmed by MoD or NATO as signed contracts.
Timeline
- 2026-07-26UK MoD selects Tekever's AR5, not Seeing Systems, for Watchkeeper replacement, up to £400M
- 2026-07-13Rival Helsing closes $1.8B Series E at $18B valuation, largest European defense-tech raise
- 2026-07-01Seeing Systems adds Gen. Wesley Clark and Gen. Sir Richard Shirreff to advisory board
- 2026-06-08Anduril founder Palmer Luckey calls Ukraine's drone interceptor output 'extraordinary'
- 2026-02-06Tectonic Defense reports early UK MoD traction and Ukraine prototype testing for Seeing Systems
- 2026-02-02Seeing Systems publicly launches via Y Combinator W26 batch
- 2026-01-23Helsing disputes reports that Ukraine paused HX-2 drone orders
- 2026-01-19Bloomberg reports Ukraine holds off on new Helsing drone orders after setbacks
Revision history
27 July 2026
First assessed. Protection under test. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.
In the same band
Sources
- Products, Competitors, Financials, Employees, Headquarters Locations (2026-06-10)
- Advanced Defence Technology (2026-07-01)
- Meet Seeing Systems, Y Combinator's Newest Drone Startup (2026-02-06)
- Seeing Systems Stock Price, Funding, Valuation, Revenue & Financial Statements (2026-06-10)
- Seeing Systems Asset Profile (2026-03-15)
- Defense Startups funded by Y Combinator (YC) 2026 (2026-07-26)
- Seeing Systems Funding
- Seeing Systems: Modular AI-Commanded Drones for Defence
- UK Army selects battle-tested Tekever drone to replace Watchkeeper (2026-07-26)
- European drone startups are raising billions while the old defense giants scramble to keep up (2026-07-26)
- Ukraine Holds Off on New Helsing Drone Orders After Setbacks (2026-01-19)
- Anduril's autonomous weapons fail in tests, Ukraine combat (n.d. (updated 2026-07-24))