Bloomberg
• Carmen Arroyo
Goldman Sachs and Apollo Global Management are discussing sales of portions of a roughly $40 billion financing deal tied to SpaceX’s AI chips, with investor slices reportedly as large as $500 million offered ahead of formal syndication. The reports describe a financing effort, not a completed sale.
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Goldman Sachs and Apollo Global Management are discussing sales of portions of a roughly $40 billion financing deal tied to SpaceX’s AI chips, with investor slices reportedly as large as $500 million offered ahead of formal syndication. The reports describe a financing effort, not a completed sale.
High activity
Joby Aviation has received $37 million in additional U.S. Air Force funding to advance and test its autonomous flight platform, with the overall contract ceiling raised to $50 million. The Air Force plans further Pacific exercises. Separately, Joby continues pursuing pre-certification air-taxi flights amid FAA scrutiny, while Eve signed an agreement with FlyBIS for up to 12 eVTOLs.
Shield Space is developing swarms of up to 100 autonomous cubesats intended to defend Western satellites in orbit. The U.K. startup is applying lessons from drone warfare in Ukraine to the effort, with the proposed spacecraft described as capable of firing lasers.
Saildrone is preparing to manufacture its Surveyor uncrewed vessels in Norway, with a first mold already being readied, CEO Tom Fidjeland said at Euronaval. Fidjeland described the production work as technically straightforward, pointing to a local manufacturing route as the company pursues greater reach in the European market.
The German defense AI company has transferred the source code for its Mission Operating System Bundeswehr to the country’s military procurement agency, giving the state ownership of software historically retained by industry. The system is intended for future combat drones and other air warfare platforms, enabling Germany to develop them independently of individual suppliers.
The Gambit Series is being presented as a scalable path for collaborative combat aircraft, with its developer positioning the family to counter current threats and address future challenges. The announcement offers no details on aircraft variants, capabilities, customers or delivery timelines.
Germany’s BAAINBw has contracted MBDA Deutschland to build a demonstrator addressing the challenges of integrating a directed-energy weapon onto a tactical aircraft. The initiative is intended to lay groundwork for a Luftwaffe capability to engage drones and cruise missiles; the reports do not specify a platform, schedule or weapon performance.
Shield AI has completed assembly of its first X-BAT, a single-engine, tail-sitting VTOL autonomous combat aircraft, in Frisco, Texas. The prototype is moving to Kansas for flight testing, with the company aiming for a first flight before year-end; the aircraft is designed for multi-role combat missions.
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