Armory Wins Rs 100 Crore in MoD Orders, Against 667 Defence Deeptech Firms on Our List

Armory, a Gurugram-based defence tech company founded in 2024, has won three Ministry of Defence contracts worth Rs 100 crore for its AI-powered SURGE system, YourStory reported. The report described the system as counter-drone. The company had previously raised Rs 35 crore, a figure that circulated with the order news on social media.

The order came in a week of defence technology announcements. The Ministry of Defence signed a five-year memorandum of understanding with Bengaluru-based Sarvam, through Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff, to develop AI applications for the Army, Navy and Air Force, YourStory reported; that agreement is a framework for multiple projects and disclosed no contract value. A LinkedIn post by Marketing Mirrors said the Indian Navy has concluded contracts worth ₹1,950 crore with startups and MSMEs under the iDEX-Swavlamban framework, with acceptances of necessity for startup projects crossing ₹3,500 crore, 229 challenges launched and over 4,000 proposals from around 150 startups and MSMEs. The Rocket Media reported a ₹770 crore Ministry of Defence contract with Bharat Electronics on 21 October 2026 for Improved Low Level Light Weight Radars.

The sector on our record

On our record, Defence & Security holds 667 Deeptech companies, of 28,846 on our list in all. 121 of the 667 are matched to patent applications in our index. The index covers 2022 onward and holds 14,186 patent applications in the sector, 2,526 of them granted. 13.7% of the applications come from foreign filers, 1,009 of them, and 42,965 inventors are named on the applications.

Filings have climbed. 2022: 1,567 applications, 1,182 from Indian filers and 385 from foreign filers. 2023: 2,261, split 1,871 and 390. 2024: 2,737, split 2,349 and 388. 2025: 3,513, split 3,129 and 384. 2026 so far: 2,589, split 2,457 and 132. Indian filings more than doubled across the period while the foreign filer count held near 384 to 390 in 2023 to 2025.

Who files, where they sit, what they raise

The largest filers in the sector on our index are public institutions and a few private names. Chairman Defence Research Development Organisation Drdo: 155 applications, 65 granted. Bharat Electronics: 149 applications, 50 granted. Bluest Mettle Solutions: 146 applications, 17 granted. Qualcomm: 89 applications, 13 granted. Microsoft Technology Licensing: 71 applications, 35 granted. Srm Institute of Science and Technology: 52 applications, 20 granted.

Companies cluster in Karnataka (97), Maharashtra (96), Telangana (88), Delhi (78) and Uttar Pradesh (70), and by city in Bengaluru (71), Hyderabad (51), Pune (40), Gurugram (31) and Ranga Reddy (25). Armory sits in Gurugram.

Funding on our record is thin next to the order flow. Six private rounds in the past 12 months, at six companies. Five disclosed an amount, adding to $18.2 million, about ₹151 crore, with a median disclosed round of $2.2 million. TraqCheck: $8.0 million (₹66 crore), Series A, April 2026. Sisir Radar: $7.0 million (₹58 crore), Series A, December 2025. Misochain: $2.2 million (₹18 crore), Seed, January 2026. Zoppler: $783,000 (₹6.5 crore), Seed, August 2026. Beijan: $205,000 (₹1.7 crore), Pre-seed, September 2026. Armory's earlier Rs 35 crore raise does not appear among them.

What to watch

Watch whether orders turn into filings. The terms most common on applications in the sector in our index are machine learning (1,398), deep learning (693), anomaly detection (654), iot (537), artificial intelligence (434) and edge computing (371). Counter-drone work draws on several at once, which is why the sector's filing base is broad rather than concentrated in one company. Watch the procurement funnel too: 229 iDEX challenges and over 4,000 proposals from around 150 startups and MSMEs, with Swavlamban 2026 scheduled for 26 to 27 October. And watch the money. At ₹83 to the dollar, a $2.2 million median round is about ₹18 crore, small beside a Rs 100 crore order book, so contract wins and equity funding move on different clocks here.

Who files in Defence & Security

Our index holds 14,186 patent applications in Defence & Security (2022 onward), 2,526 of them granted. Foreign filers account for 13.7% of them.

The filing trend

Where the companies are

We count 667 Deeptech companies in Defence & Security on our list, 121 of them matched to patent applications in our index. The largest clusters are in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune.

Private rounds in the past year

Our record holds 6 private rounds in Defence & Security in the past 12 months, at 6 companies. The 5 that disclosed an amount add to $18.2 million (about ₹151 crore).

How we counted

The news in this brief comes from the reports linked below, published in the past week. Every figure about the sector comes from Deeptech Navigator's own record: companies on our list (a yes or maybe Deeptech verdict, not merged, not closed), patent applications filed in India in our index from 2022 onward, and verified private rounds compiled from public reports.

Companies are "matched to" patent applications by name; a match is ours, not a legal statement of ownership. Patent counts cover applications from 2022 onward only, and the current year is to date. Rounds leave out grants, government schemes, debt, IPOs and listed companies; amounts reported in rupees are converted at ₹83 to the dollar.

In our data

Sources

• Instagram ↗
• Indian Navy Contracts ₹1,950 Cr with Startups Under iDEX-Swavlamban | Marketing Mirrors posted on the topic | LinkedIn ↗
• Sarvam signs five-year agreement with defence ministry to develop AI tech for armed forces | YourStory ↗
• The Rocket Media on X: "“I’m Not in Danger. I Am the Danger.” India’s Counter-Drone Industry Is Responding." / X ↗