When a company moves from prototypes to battlefield-ready technology in under six months, it isn’t just hitting milestones, it’s proving the commercial viability of what was once R&D. HPQ Silicon’s strategic partner, Novacium SAS, just secured its first commercial order for more than 100 AA NOVA 6S3P 15,000 mAh battery packs from Alta Ares, a French counter-drone company selected by France’s DGA under the ELISA innovation partnership. These packs are intended to power the X-Lock, an interceptor drone guided by Alta Ares’ onboard artificial intelligence software, Pixel Lock, and used in real combat conditions in Ukraine. What makes this order significant isn’t just the units, it’s the customer. Public sources indicate Alta Ares has raised tens of millions of euros across its funding rounds, including capital from a €500 million European defence tech fund anchored by Airbus, which is both an investor and strategic partner. The company won a 2025 NATO innovation challenge focused on threat detection and participated in counter-drone test campaigns alongside NATO, the DGA, and Ukrainian representatives. Its Pixel Lock AI software has been validated in real combat conditions in Ukraine. And now, Novacium’s silicon-based anode technology is the power source behind its AA NOVA pack for the X-Lock interceptor.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Six-Month Validation: A July 2026 test campaign with 10 AA NOVA prototypes preceded the order, lighter pack, at least equivalent performance versus Alta Ares’ reference battery.
- High-Current Power: The AA NOVA pack uses 18 cylindrical 21700 GEN3 “high-current” cells (5,000 mAh each, 25C discharge rate, 125A per cell).
- Weight Advantage: Silicon-based cells delivered higher energy density than graphite, reducing onboard weight, critical for drone agility, acceleration, endurance, or payload.
- GEN4 In Development: Future packs could incorporate 6,000 mAh GEN4 “high-current” cells, targeting an increase in pack capacity over the current GEN3 design.
- NATO & French Army Traction: First GEN3 order for FPV drones destined for a French Army regiment announced in August 2026; discussions held with the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence in Vilnius regarding energy autonomy.
STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS
The counter-drone market is constrained by a single problem: battery weight limits flight time, payload, and responsiveness. Traditional graphite-anode cells struggle to deliver the power-to-weight ratio required for demanding interceptor missions, where every gram affects agility and every second of endurance matters. That’s why Alta Ares spent nearly six months co-developing a custom solution with Novacium.
Novacium’s silicon-based anode technology addresses that constraint. By increasing energy density without adding weight, the AA NOVA pack can extend operational parameters, agility, acceleration, endurance, available payload, while maintaining the 25C discharge rate essential for high-speed maneuvers. For an interceptor drone designed to neutralize threats in flight, that advantage can translate directly into improved mission performance. It’s also why Alta Ares and Novacium are already working on potential next-generation packs incorporating GEN4 cells.
The timing is favourable, and the strategy is deliberate. Canadian officials have publicly discussed plans involving large-scale drone deployment. HPQ announced in 2025 that it had secured up to $3 million in federal funding to advance a 50-tonne-per-year silicon-based anode material production facility in Canada. The EU-Canada collaboration on defence and technology is accelerating. And Novacium is now embedded in the French defence supply chain and engaged in NATO-aligned discussions. HPQ holds a 36.8% equity stake in Novacium and has exclusive rights to commercialize Novacium’s silicon-based anode technologies in North America under the HPQ ENDURA+ brand. The company is not just supplying materials, it is positioning itself within an emerging defence-focused battery ecosystem that was at an earlier stage less than two years ago.
CEO Bernard Tourillon:
“We’re ecstatic about this press release. For the last six months, we’ve been skating around it, because we knew who we were talking with and the significance of what we were doing. But until we reached this milestone, until Novacium could name the client, it was difficult to be very clear. We’ve now gone through the wringer of being certified by a top drone manufacturer. And we strongly believe this could translate into more opportunities in both Europe and North America. This is the beginning of what we see as an inflection point. There’s a massive demand, and we’re now reaching the point where we have to start looking at what’s going to be our best strategy to meet it.”
INVESTOR TAKEAWAY
This is not just another development test, it is a first commercial order for more than 100 AA NOVA packs from a NATO-engaged, DGA-selected defence company whose systems and software have been evaluated in real combat conditions. Novacium has progressed from lab-scale cells to defence-sector commercial orders in under two years. HPQ, as a 36.8% shareholder in Novacium and the exclusive North American license holder for its silicon-based anode technologies, stands to benefit from Novacium’s European orders while it advances its own domestic production capacity with federal support. The transition from prototypes and qualification to an initial wave of commercial validation is underway. The next phase is scaling to meet demand, supported by policy tailwinds, defence procurement channels, and growing customer traction in drone and defence applications.
Last modified: September 18, 2026
