Armory, a defence-tech startup focussed on counter-drone technology, has raised Rs 13 crore in a funding round led by early-stage investor GrowX Ventures.

Additional participants in the round include Industrial 47, Antler, AC Ventures, Dexter Ventures, and multiple angel investors.

The fundraising occurs as interest in native defense production and AI-driven security technologies is rising, with India looking to lessen import reliance and enhance local capabilities.

Established in 2024 by Amardeep Singh, Armory creates homegrown counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) intended to identify, monitor, and neutralize wayward drones, which pose an increasing threat as the use of autonomous weapons and electronic warfare accelerates worldwide.

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The firm stated it will utilize the new funds to enhance research and development (R&D), increase production capabilities, and expedite product deployment cycles. The company's main product, SURGE, has already been tested in the field by several Indian Army regiments.

Armory's systems utilize a proprietary AI-driven defense operating system known as Samaritan OS, created to provide real-time adaptability and ongoing learning, capabilities that were not available in traditional systems.

“Drones are relatively newer threats. So, the products that have been built for this to counter this threat are still in early stages,” says Amardeep Singh, founder and CEO of Armory.

Amardeep added that many existing systems only detect drones operating on standard frequencies, whereas recent conflicts have shown that adversaries increasingly use unconventional frequencies, making such systems ineffective.

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Manish Gupta, general partner of GrowX Ventures says, “India’s national security priorities are rapidly evolving, and Armory is one of the few startups addressing these changes at the pace of software. Their focus on building mission-critical, AI-led defence systems from the ground up, which is fully indigenous, modular, and field-proven, represents the kind of vision we believe India’s defence-tech ecosystem needs.”