PRESS RELEASE | EUROSATORY 2026
A NEW CHAPTER FOR FRANCE'S LEADING ANTI-DRONE ORGANIZATION
Latour Capital, through the Emergence Défense fund and the Fonds Innovation Défense—in which the Agence de l’Innovation de Défense is a major investor and which is managed by Bpifrance—is pleased to announce the acquisition of CERBAIR, a French leader in anti-drone technology and electronic warfare. This is the first acquisition by the Emergence Défense fund, created in February 2026 by a group of insurers and mutual insurance companies, including Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, dedicated to companies in the French and European Defense and Technology Industrial Base (BITD). This transaction marks a decisive step toward CERBAIR’s goal of becoming a global leader in Anti-Drone Warfare (ADW) within five years.
CERBAIR: Exceptional momentum in the service of national sovereignty
Founded in 2015 by Lucas Le Bell and the French deep tech studio Technofounders, CERBAIR, a French expert in LAD, has posted annual growth of nearly 30% over the past four years, driven by the convergence of several structural trends: (i) the intensification of the drone threat across all theaters, (ii) the civil regulatory shift opening new markets in France and the European Union, and (iii) the integration of artificial intelligence. Constantly adapting to the evolving threat, the company masters the entire functional chain: detect, characterize, neutralize. Its solutions are based on unique expertise in both electronic warfare and algorithmic signal processing (now enhanced by artificial intelligence). CERBAIR is integrated into major French government programs (MILAD, PARADE, and equipment for over 40 correctional facilities). Its distinctive strengths are its speed of execution, its technological agility, and its unique ability to integrate real-time feedback from its clients (both military and civilian operators) to evolve its products in step with the threat.
Latour Capital: A Leading Partner Dedicated to Sovereignty
Latour Capital and Bpifrance, through the Defense Innovation Fund, will support CERBAIR in accelerating its growth to establish itself as a global leader in LAD. These new shareholders bring:
• Strong industrial and institutional roots, with a shared focus on the reliability and performance expected of its products; ;
• Funding for (i) technological investments, including the development of scalable, self-learning detection solutions, and (ii) the expansion of its product portfolio, particularly in the area of drone neutralization (jamming and interception).
• Support to structure and accelerate its business development in France and around the world, including through deeper Franco-Ukrainian cooperation; ;
• Ways to identify relevant targets in Europe and around the world to strengthen your expertise, your offerings, and your market opportunities.
CERBAIR’s entire management team, committed to and enthusiastic about this new direction, is reinvesting alongside Latour Capital and Bpifrance.
Words from Leaders
" CERBAIR fully meets our investment criteria: a national leader with cutting-edge technology, led by an exceptional team, in a rapidly expanding market. With this transaction, we are giving CERBAIR the resources it needs to achieve its global ambitions, in a sector where France has everything to gain. "
Alexis Morel, Partner at Latour Capital
" Given the strategic importance of national and European sovereignty, counter-drone efforts are a top priority. Through the Innovation Défense fund and in line with its efforts to support key players in the defense and security industry, Bpifrance is proud to support CERBAIR, a French flagship company, as it strives to establish itself as a European leader and build the security solutions of tomorrow. ».
Emmanuel Audouard, Director of the Deeptech Venture Division at Bpifrance and Head of the Defense Innovation Fund
" Over the past decade, CERBAIR has established itself as France’s pioneer and specialist in counter-drone technology, overcoming immense operational challenges. This partnership with Latour Capital gives us the means to pursue an ambition commensurate with the threat: to become a global leader in counter-drone technology. We are entering a new chapter, with the same values (agility, technical excellence, service to the sovereign) but with the resources to go much further, much faster. "
Lucas Le Bell, President, CERBAIR
" Developing a project that would help protect our communities required taking a significant risk—and doing so very early on. We were able to rise to that challenge thanks to an exceptional team, as well as partners and investors who were as forward-thinking as we had hoped. We are now convinced that CERBAIR has found the ideal partner to successfully carry out the next phase and continue working to ensure our defense. "
Olivier Le Blainvaux, Technofounders
ABOUT CERBAIR
Founded in 2015, CERBAIR is France’s leading expert in counter-drone technology. Its RF detection, electromagnetic jamming neutralization, and mobile 2-in-1 solutions are deployed in 30 countries across 4 continents, serving armed forces, law enforcement agencies, correctional facilities, and operators of critical infrastructure. CERBAIR is integrated into major French government programs and is the go-to solution for many leading European defense contractors.
ABOUT LATOUR CAPITAL
Latour Capital is an independent French investment management firm with an entrepreneurial culture and extensive operational experience. With nearly €5 billion in assets under management and investments in France, Germany, and Switzerland, it focuses primarily on companies with strong growth potential in Europe. In November 2025, Latour Capital was selected by a group of insurers and mutual insurance companies, including Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, to manage a €400 million fund dedicated to industrial defense companies, in line with the priorities
the government's strategic priorities.
ABOUT THE DEFENSE INNOVATION FUND AND BPIFRANCE
Established in 2020 at the initiative of the Defense Innovation Agency and managed by Bpifrance, the Defense Innovation Fund supports the growth and development of innovative companies whose dual-use technologies are of particular interest to the defense sector, through equity and quasi-equity investments. With nearly €320 million in assets, the fund contributes to the emergence of new players of critical size at the French and European levels. Bpifrance’s equity investments are managed by Bpifrance Investissement. Bpifrance finances companies at every stage of their development through loans, guarantees, and equity. Bpifrance supports them in their innovation and international expansion projects. Bpifrance also supports their export activities through a wide range of products. Consulting, academic partnerships, networking, and acceleration programs for startups, SMEs, and mid-sized companies are also part of the services offered to entrepreneurs. Thanks to Bpifrance and its 50 regional offices, entrepreneurs have a local, dedicated, and effective partner to support them and help them overcome their challenges.
For more information, please visit:
https://www.bpifrance.com
Follow us on X: @Bpifrance – @BpifrancePresse and
on LinkedIn: @Bpifrance
ABOUT TECHNOFOUNDERS
Technofounders is a venture capital firm that creates, finances, and supports companies spun out of French scientific research. For over 10 years, through its deep-tech startup studio model, Technofounders has been transforming scientific innovations into profitable businesses. Through its TF Participations fund, it has created and supported 17 startups, invested over €30 million, and raised over €90 million in co-investments. Among its flagship achievements are notably
CERBAIR, ION-X, and Les Fermes Debout.
PARTICIPANTS
Investors
- Latour Capital : Alexis Morel, Cécile Nguyen-Cluzel, Pierre-Emmanuel Guiné, Laetitia Berger, Adrien Andral, Arthur Billet
- Bpifrance : Samia Belabed, Paul Floquet, Sibylle Renard-Payen, Latour Capital Advisors
- Financial advice (M&A): Houlihan Lokey (Géraud Estrangin)
- Legal advice (corporate): Lamartine (Olivier Renault, Thomas Cluzaud, Rathana Danh Sang)
- Strategic due diligence : SubRosa (Jean-Louis Dropsy, Hervé Collignon)
- Financial due diligence : Eight Advisory (Baptiste Piasentin, Charles Derache)
- ESG due diligence : Indéfi (Victor Le Marois, Nina Claude, Mathieu Blachere)
CERBAIR Advisors (Sellers)
- Financial Advisory (M&A) : Rothschild & Co (Nicolas Perianin, François Carlot, Pierre Brencklé, Théo Bulgare)
- Financial vendor due diligence : Oderis (Thomas Claverie, Clément Tastet)
- Management Consulting : Goodwin (Xavier Leroux, William Ducroq Ferre, Elea Poirée)
PRESS CONTACT
LATOUR CAPITAL
- Alexis Morel (Partner)
+33 6 07 15 51 02
amorel@latour-capital.com
- Aristide Gasangwa
(Investor Relations)
+33 6 07 82 62 15
agasangwa@latour-capital.com
BPIFRANCE
• Sophie Santandrea
+33 7 88 09 28 17
sophie.santandrea@bpifrance.fr
CERBAIR
• Lucas Le Bell (President)
+33 6 15 22 06 49
lucas.lebell@cerbair.com
