China's Lingkong raises 200M yuan Series E for counter-drone tech
What's the deal? Xi'an Lingkong Electronic Technology, a Chinese counter-drone systems developer, has raised 200 million yuan (about $29.7 million) in a Series E round. The funding values the company at 3 billion yuan. Investors include Southern Industrial Fund, Chuanfa Guiding Fund, CCB Investment, and Zigong General Aviation Industry Fund.
Why now? The round lands as counter-drone technology draws sharp investor interest. Cheap consumer drones have proven able to disable equipment worth hundreds of millions of dollars, pushing governments to prioritise defensive systems.
What's the endgame? Founded in 2016 out of a Northwestern Polytechnical University lab, Lingkong builds swarm drones and counter-swarm systems from the same core technology. It says it was the first in China to offer a complete counter-drone solution and the country's first tilt-rotor vertical take-off and landing drone.
The company describes counter-drone defence as a systems problem rather than a single technology, requiring coordinated detection, tracking, and interdiction. It completed a 56-drone swarm formation in 2017 and validated another swarm platform in 2023.
By the numbers: Lingkong reported 2025 revenue of 385 million yuan, up nearly 50% year on year. The company points to that growth, along with its funding history and deployed use cases, as the basis for its 3 billion yuan valuation.
Its drones have moved into civilian procurement. A Lingkong fixed-wing model passed acceptance as part of a 49.68 million yuan weather-modification project in Ningxia, and another operates on Chongqing's first drone postal route in mountainous terrain.
The signal: The round reflects both the counter-drone boom and China's push into low-altitude economy. Backers span military-linked industrial capital and, for the first time, cross-province state funds from Sichuan — a sign of coordination across regional aviation clusters. In Shaanxi, home to more than 650 drone-related firms but no pure-play listed drone company, Lingkong now sits as a leading candidate to fill that gap.
Read more: Jiemian
Image credit: The Arkansas National Guard
