Defence-tech startup Armory gets ₹100 crore order from MoD: Amardeep Singh

Company to provide indigenous AI-powered counter-unmanned aerial systems called SURGE

Homegrown defence-tech startup Armory has secured three separate contracts, totalling Rs 100 crore, from the Ministry of Defence, the company's founder and chief executive officer, Amardeep Singh, told Business Standard in an exclusive conversation.

 

The company secured these contracts/tenders to provide its indigenous artificial intelligence-powered counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) called SURGE.

 

Notably, in its 2026 Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman allocated Rs 7.85 trillion for defence, which is almost 2 per cent of the GDP. The overall defence allocation was Rs 6.81 trillion last year, and almost Rs 6.22 trillion in FY25.

 

The Gurugram-based startup said the contract was awarded following a series of field evaluations and trials, where Armory’s system met the defined operational requirements for detecting, identifying, and neutralising rogue drones. The contract covers the production and deployment of SURGE systems, which use proprietary Samaritan OS (operating system) to detect, deny, and neutralise rogue drones through real-time adaptation against non-standard frequencies.

 

Singh shared that in its current form, its product can detect a drone and offers a soft kill solution, which essentially means either jamming or spoofing the drone’s location. He explained that using radio frequency, its systems can detect the presence of a drone in a five-kilometre radius and subsequently jam the communication and stop the drone at up to three kilometres.

 

“This Rs 100 crore order makes Armory arguably one of the youngest defence-tech startups to achieve such a large-scale defence contract in such a short period of time,” Singh said, adding that the company creates solutions which are customised to the need of certain areas, as drone threats vary significantly by terrain, altitude, weather, line-of-sight, clutter, and usage patterns that change rapidly. The company was founded in 2024.

 

Following this milestone, Armory plans to scale its manufacturing capacity, onboard new talent, and accelerate the development of advanced indigenous defence technologies that strengthen the country's security landscape and align with evolving operational requirements. In addition, apart from drone detection and soft kill, the company is now working on hard kill solutions, which means physically bringing a drone down.

 

The startup has raised Rs 35 crore in equity funding to date from investors such as GrowX Ventures, Antler, Industrial 47, Dexter Ventures and AC Ventures. It is also looking to raise another round of investment later this year to invest in hardware and other expansion plans.

 

Based on data from market intelligence platform Tracxn, total funding in indigenous aerospace, maritime and defence-tech startups increased from $450 million in 2024 (150 rounds) to $548 million in 2025 (128 rounds).

 

Force Majeure clause

 

On April 29, 2026, the Ministry of Finance issued a memorandum regarding the force majeure clause in government procurement contracts. It clarifies that the ongoing West Asia crisis should be treated as "war", which qualifies as a force majeure event. Therefore, if disruptions caused by the conflict directly affect delivery, services, consultancy, or construction contracts with government agencies, procuring entities may invoke force majeure.

 

In such cases, deadlines for contractual obligations due on or after February 28, 2026, can be extended by two to four months. However, only parties that were not already in default as of February 27, 2026, can claim relief, and only for disruptions directly linked to the West Asia crisis.

 

Responding to this development, Singh said the ongoing disruption in West Asia has not impacted the company's deliverables. "It is definitely encouraging to see the Ministry of Finance's clarification on the force majeure clause. It goes on to show a constructive and proactive approach by the government in acknowledging the genuine concerns of industry suppliers operating under uncertain global conditions. While the West Asia situation has not materially impacted our own deliverables, such timely policy guidance strengthens confidence across the defence and broader supplier ecosystem."