ASIO Lands $15 Million Round, Secures Anduril Deal for GPS-Independent UAV Navigation
The Israeli defense technology firm, founded by former IDF reconnaissance officers, attracted its first outside capital after over two decades of bootstrapping, coinciding with a new U.S. defense contract.
By Ryan Merket · Published
Why it matters
The investment and the Anduril contract provide a significant validation for ASIO, a company that has operated for over two decades without external funding. It highlights the escalating demand for GPS-independent navigation in autonomous systems due to electronic warfare, positioning ASIO's technology for broader adoption in U.S. and international defense platforms.
ASIO Technologies, an Israeli defense technology firm co-founded by former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reconnaissance officers Tomer Malchi and Yaniv Malchi, has raised its first external funding, a $15 million round, after more than 20 years of bootstrapping. The investment arrives as the company expands its reach in the U.S. defense market, having secured a supply agreement with American prime contractor Anduril Industries reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars for its GPS-independent navigation modules.
The $15 million financing round was led by Protego Ventures and co-led by Aliya Capital Partners, according to the Web Research Brief. The capital infusion marks a pivot for ASIO, which has been self-funded since its incorporation on June 24th, 2003. The founders, Tomer Malchi, who serves as CEO, and Yaniv Malchi, responsible for business development, have stated their frustration with military technology during their service as the impetus for building simpler, tactical tools for frontline forces.
The deal with Anduril involves the delivery of several hundred of ASIO's NOCTA systems for an American military UAV program, a detail first announced in March 2026. The precise contract value has not been publicly disclosed. The NOCTA module, which weighs approximately 100 grams, is designed for Group 1 and Group 2 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). It operates by matching live terrain imagery against stored maps to provide absolute, low-latency positioning without relying on GPS or external communications, enabling drones to continue missions even when satellite signals are jammed or spoofed.
ASIO's core offering stems from its GeoFusion geospatial engine, which underpins its full suite of products including the Orion handheld command-and-control devices and Lynx augmented-reality monoculars. The company reports over 10,000 operational flight hours for its NOCTA systems and thousands of its Orion systems deployed with the IDF and other international customers. Development for the Orion systems began roughly six years prior to the October 7th, 2023, attack.
The demand for GPS-independent navigation solutions has intensified amid modern electronic warfare landscapes, where satellite signals are increasingly vulnerable to jamming and spoofing. ASIO's NOCTA differentiates itself from competitors like Honeywell Vision Aided Navigation and UAV Navigation's VNS through its compact size, passive operation-meaning no detectable emissions-and claimed drift-free absolute positioning honed through extensive combat deployment.
With fewer than 50 employees, ASIO is headquartered in Kfar Saba, Israel, and maintains a U.S. office in Miami Beach, Florida. The new funding is expected to support increased production capacity and facilitate the company's expansion into North American, European, and Asian markets, leveraging the momentum from its Anduril partnership.