Surtr Defense Systems

The open operating system for counter-UAS

Spring 2026ActiveIndustrialsDefenseComputer VisionLos Angeles, CA, USA

Company

Surtr builds ParallaxOS, the open operating system for counter-UAS. It takes sensor data from any radar, RF detector, camera, or acoustic array and fuses it into a single unified picture with AI-driven threat classification and engagement recommendations. One interface, any hardware, human in the loop.

Note: This is a preliminary assessment based on limited publicly available information. We did not have access to LinkedIn profiles or live product screenshots for this analysis. We will update this entry with a more thorough review soon.

Verdict

High Signal

Market Opportunity

Counter-UAS is an exploding defense priority with billions in government spending — the DoD alone has requested multi-billion dollar C-UAS budgets and NATO allies are rapidly scaling procurement post-Ukraine. The ICP is clear: military units, base commanders, critical infrastructure operators. B2G/B2B defense is a high-margin, sticky market with long contracts.

High Signal

Founder Signal

Both founders have direct, highly relevant experience: Cameron Fiore worked as an autonomy engineer at Anduril and Shield AI on missile defense and robot teaming; Anshul Ahluwalia is an ex-Shield AI autonomy engineer. Anduril and Shield AI are the two most prestigious defense-tech companies in the US — this is exactly the pedigree needed to build credible counter-UAS software. LinkedIn profiles unavailable but YC bios are specific and verifiable.

Medium Signal

Competition

Anduril (Lattice OS) is the obvious direct competitor — a well-funded, established C2/sensor fusion platform. CACI, Dedrone, and D-Fend Solutions also compete in C-UAS software. Surtr's differentiation is hardware-agnostic openness vs. Anduril's vertically integrated approach, which is a real wedge for buyers locked into existing sensor hardware. However, Anduril's scale and DoD relationships are a serious moat to overcome.

Medium Signal

Product

ParallaxOS is described with specific technical detail — sensor fusion from radar, RF, camera, acoustic arrays with AI threat classification and engagement recommendations. No live demo, customer logos, pricing, or revenue metrics visible. Product concept is coherent and well-articulated but no evidence of deployed customers or contracts.

OverallA Tier

Surtr has the right founders for this problem — two autonomy engineers from Anduril and Shield AI building the exact category of software they shipped professionally is as close to domain fit as it gets. The open/hardware-agnostic angle is a genuine wedge against Anduril's closed ecosystem, especially for allied nations and DoD programs with legacy sensor investments. The main risks are absence of any visible traction or contracts, and the existential challenge of competing with Anduril's established Lattice platform and government relationships. If they can land even one pilot contract or LOI, this becomes an S-tier company given the market tailwind and team quality.

Active Founders

Anshul Ahluwalia

Founder

Ex Shield-AI Autonomy Engineer working on building open & modular C2 for Counter UAS

Cameron Fiore

Founder

Building a hardware-agnostic, AI operating system for air defense. Before Surtr, I was an an autonomy engineer at Anduril and Shield AI, where I worked on missile defense systems and robot teaming in contested environments.

Surtr Defense Systems

TierA Tier

BatchSpring 2026

Team Size2

StatusActive

LocationLos Angeles, CA, USA

Disagree with this rating? Let us know

$200 GPU creditsClaim yours →