Editor’s Brief¹ - Chariot Defense Emerges From Stealth

Forward-deployed power is the new bottleneck. From JADC2 nodes to directed-energy weapons, modern platforms demand more electricity with less signature. 

Chariot Defense, one of the key players in the fast-developing modern power architecture space, announced their emergence from stealth today at Reindustrialize 2025 and we are the first to bring you analysis of their Amphora family of systems.

Special thanks to CEO Adam Warmoth and Garrett Page for the tour of the company’s San Bruno manufacturing space and talking about all things Chariot Defense.

Signal Brief: Chariot Defense — Silent Power for a Noisy Battlefield

Chariot Defense fields mobile, high-voltage hybrid-electric systems designed to deliver low-signature, combat-ready power at the edge.Their Amphora product line replaces noisy, heat-emitting diesel generators with intelligent architecture and onboard energy storage, enabling silent watch and continuous operation without compromise.

Origins & Vision

The company was founded in August 2024 by CEO Adam Warmoth, a Stanford-trained mechanical engineer and former Senior Director of Engineering at Anduril Industries. The rest of the team brings experience from the eVTOL industry (Uber Aviation), agile defense technology (Anduril), electric and combustion engine vehicle industry (Tesla, Ford, and suppliers), and combat experience from the U.S. military (Army, Marine Corps).

Chariot designed a hybrid-electric architecture from the ground up for silent and resilient tactical operations after seeing time and time again how legacy power systems consistently interrupt tactical operations with noise, heat, refueling and maintenance.

Their first major field validation came just six months after their founding at JIFX (Feb 2025), when they powered Firestorm’s xCell facility, a counter-drone/EW stack, and the Aurelius Laser Weapon System in live-fire tests under variable conditions.

Chariot’s mission: deliver low-signature battlefield power tuned to the realities of the modern fight where all logistics will be contested and troops at even the lowest echelons will require electricity-hungry devices.

Key Takeaways

• Signature Reduction as a Capability: Power systems featuring high-density onboard storage eliminate thermal and acoustic signatures.

• High Voltage, High Impact: Amphora makes it practical to field energy-intensive systems like directed-energy weapons—even at lower echelons

• Less to Move, More to Power: One Amphora unit replaces up to three traditional 10kW generators, and when used with those generators, reduces logistical and maintenance concerns.

• Plug and Play: No retrofitting. No specialized training. Integrates with legacy systems out of the box.

• Strategic Fit: Aligns with DoD’s push for hybrid platforms (Abrahms, Bradley, XM30, SMET/MMET) and expeditionary power modernization

Tech Radar:

Amphora Edge Power - Silent Energy, Built for the Edge

The Amphora system combines ruggedized lithium-ion batteries, high-efficiency power electronics, and intelligent controls to deliver scalable, low-signature battlefield power.

Key Capabilities

• Multi-Input Flexibility: Accepts power from generators, alternators, solar, fuel cells, or grid connections.

• Bidirectional Inverter/Charger: Converts any input to stored energy or immediate output with high efficiency and clean sine-wave delivery.

• Multi-Voltage Output: Supports low-voltage and 3-phase power, powering everything from comms to directed-energy systems.

• Modular Deployments: It can serve as both a primary power source and surge buffer for mission-critical systems.

Market Signals

Funding & Growth

• Total Funding: $8M

• Latest Round: $8M Seed Round (Jan ‘25)

• Notable Investors: General Catalyst, XYZ, Cubit Capital, Ravelin, Forward Deployed VC, Pax, New Vista, D3, and Brave Capital

• Valuation: Undisclosed

• Annual Contract Value: Undisclosed

Contracts & Government Traction

While Chariot has yet to secure formal DoD contracts, they’ve already demonstrated operational integration across multiple exercises:

• Joint Interagency Field Exercise (Feb 2025)

• Army Transformation in Contact (TiC) 2.0 (May 2025)

• Multiple Ongoing USMC UAS Training and Doctrine Initiatives

The company is now scaling production capacity to meet early demand from both service branches and warfighters.

Looking Ahead

In large-scale combat operations (LSCO) against peer threats, every warfighting function from fires, to C2, to sustainment and maneuver, require reliable, mobile power. And as the operational tempo in a conflict accelerates, mobility and signature management shift from logistical details to strategic assets.

DoD doctrine explicitly warns that traditional generators are both a logistics burden and a signature beacon, emitting electromagnetic, visual, auditory, and thermal signatures.

Even without this threat, most vehicle power systems can’t support sustained high output, especially when sensors, comms, and HVAC compete for load.  Running generators at low loads to meet short, high-output bursts (firing an HPM) can cause “wet stacking,” an engine-killing condition caused by incomplete combustion.

Simply hauling more batteries also likely isn’t the answer. Weight, recharge cycles, and logistics introduce new friction points.

For all the innovation targeting high-end warfighting functions, we need more innovation at the “picks and shovels” layer. Tactical energy infrastructure is now a linchpin of peer combat ops.

Which brings us to Chariot Defense. 

Their systems reflect a deep understanding of doctrine. Amphora adheres to the sustainment principles outlined in ATP 3-34.45: Continuity, Economy, Integration, and Simplicity. And unlike many commercial systems, it’s built from the ground up for military use and can fit into the current military standard generator trailers and plays nicely with almost any system or type of power.

But the biggest win may be for the warfighters themselves: the ability to return to a FOB or sit in a HMMWV on night patrol with reliable, high-output power without the constant drone of a generator is a game changer. It yields better sleep, lower stress, and less wear and tear on equipment and more importantly, people.

Challenges

• Manufacturing at Scale: Aligning cost, quality, and CMMC compliance for defense-grade battery systems.

• Securing the Supply Chain: Critical minerals and specialized electronics pose sourcing and security risks.

• Defending Market Share: Incumbent primes are developing in-house hybrid systems with scale and contract access.

Bottom Line:

Legacy primes can no longer build in silos and expect the force to adapt. The future demands interoperable, operator-aligned tech that works across platforms. While not every system needs full MOSA compliance, power infrastructure must integrate seamlessly across the board.

Amphora hits that mark. It’s compact, intelligent, and combat-ready, augmenting legacy systems while reducing signature and logistical burden.

As war becomes more distributed, data-driven, and electrically dependent, power moves from support role to strategic multiplier. Chariot isn’t waiting for that future. They’re building for it—and that future is already here.

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1  The views expressed in this newsletter are my own and do not represent the views of the U.S. Navy, Department of Defense, or any government agency. Mention of companies, technologies, or products is not an endorsement or recommendation. The content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice.