Chariot Defense raises $34M Series A to build battlefield power systems for drones and counter-UAS platforms
Feb 25, 2026 with Adam Warmoth
Key Points
- Chariot Defense raises $34M Series A to supply high-voltage battery and power systems to Army and Marine Corps units across multiple theaters, positioning itself as the power layer for robotic warfare alongside Anduril's compute and Palantir's network infrastructure.
- The company sources mature commercial battery technology from Tesla, Apple, and Lucid, then applies forward-deployed engineering to battlefield-harden systems, avoiding the cost of building components from scratch.
- Chariot's near-term growth hinges on counter-drone defense as militaries pack more sensors and countermeasures onto mobile platforms, where batteries enable both power surging for electronic warfare and signature reduction that diesel generators cannot match.
Summary
Chariot Defense announced a $34M Series A to build high-voltage battery and power electronics systems for military drones, counter-UAS platforms, and next-generation command and control infrastructure. Founder Adam Warmoth positions the company as the power layer for robotic warfare, filling a gap alongside Anduril's compute systems and Palantir's network layer.
The company's first deployed product, the M4 24, fits in a Pelican case with custom additive-manufactured internal structures to isolate electronics. It withstands rain, mud, and drops from a Humvee. Chariot sources battery and power electronics technology from commercial leaders like Tesla, Apple, Lucid, and Archer, then applies forward-deployed engineering to integrate these components into battlefield-hardened systems.
Chariot has moved from early testing to operational scale. The company has conducted roughly 25 test exercises since its last public update and now has systems deployed across Army and Marine Corps units in multiple theaters. Its go-to-market strategy combines direct government sales, both to individual units and for programs of record, with supply agreements with other defense contractors.
Warmoth favors selective verticalization. Rather than building batteries and power electronics from scratch, Chariot sources mature commercial components but owns the forward-deployed engineering workâintegration, testing, and iteration with warfighters. Palantir and Anduril follow the same model: they did not invent cloud compute or autonomy, but capitalized on massive commercial investment and brought those technologies into the Department of Defense through disciplined go-to-market and field engineering.
Counter-drone defense anchors the company's near-term thesis. As militaries push more sensors and countermeasures onto mobile platforms, each platform needs more power for both continuous low-signature operation and surge-heavy applications like electronic warfare, high-powered microwaves, and high-energy lasers. Chariot has already tested high-energy laser integration. The battery value proposition differs from pure energy density, where diesel wins. Batteries enable both power surging and signature reduction, letting operators toggle between performance and concealment.