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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Vectus Air Defense Systems launched Friday, led by Blackwater founder Erik Prince and backed by drone-collaboration specialist Swarmer.

Why it matters: The company is taking an unorthodox tack, applying the as-a-service model, often associated with software subscriptions, to overhead defenses, like jammers, cannons and interceptors seen on the battlefields of Ukraine and the Middle East.