Airbus spearheads new E2D European defence tech fund
{“title”: “Airbus spearheads new E2D European defence tech fund”, “content_html”: “
Farnborough, United Kingdom, 21 July 2026 – At the Farnborough International Airshow, Airbus Defence and Space has signed an agreement to become the anchor investor in the newly established E2D dual-use and defence technology growth fund. This strategic investment is designed to enhance the European defence ecosystem by providing growth capital to high-tech companies across Europe, thus strengthening European sovereignty and addressing critical capability gaps.
The E2D fund was launched in June 2026 by AVP and Earlybird, both prominent European venture and growth capital firms. With a target size of €500 million, it represents one of the largest Franco-German investment collaborations within the European technology sector.
“European defence faces a reality requiring scale and speed, therefore, we must actively build and expand a future tech ecosystem of suppliers and partners,” stated Michael Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space. “Investing into E2D is a continuation of our internal and direct M&A efforts to scale European deep-tech, keeping critical capital, talent, and intellectual property on the continent.”
The growth-stage fund is expected to target around 20 companies, each receiving an average investment of €25 million. It aims to focus on critical domains such as space, air, land, maritime, and subsurface, supporting businesses that employ modern operating models and have clear mission objectives across both defence-native and dual-use applications. E2D has already announced its first investment in Alta Ares, a French-headquartered company that develops AI-powered hardware and agnostic software for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), and counter-unmanned aerial systems (UAS) missions. This follows a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding between Airbus Defence and Space and Alta Ares to co-develop and integrate next-generation European counter-drone solutions into Airbus’ battle management suite.
Since its inception in 2016 in Paris, AVP has operated as an independent global investment platform dedicated to high-growth technology companies, managing over €2.5 billion in assets. Earlybird, founded in 1997, also manages €2.5 billion, focused on supporting early-stage companies as they navigate their growth trajectories with financial resources and strategic network access.
“, “meta_title”: “Airbus Leads E2D Defence Tech Fund Investment”, “meta_description”: “Airbus Defence and Space becomes anchor investor in the E2D fund, targeting €500 million to boost European defence tech innovation.”, “primary_keyword”: “E2D defence tech fund”, “domains”: [“land”, “air”, “naval”], “topics”: [“technology”], “quality”: “green”, “quality_reason”: “The article is complete and adheres to all guidelines.”}
Source: Airbus Defence and Space (2026-07-20)
