Jackie Abramian

Armenian-Founded Gecko Robotics Secures $71 Million U.S. Navy Deal To Cut Maintenance Delays And Boost Fleet Readiness ➖➖➖ Gecko Robotics, the AI and robotics company co-founded and led by Armenian-American entrepreneur Jake Loosararian, announced a major new agreement with the U.S. Navy and the General Services Administration, securing a five-year IDIQ contract with a $71 million ceiling to deploy artificial intelligence and robotics to assess and maintain the health of military assets. Gecko announced the deal on March 17, 2026. The Pittsburgh-based company said it will begin work on 18 ships in the U.S. Pacific Fleet under an initial award worth up to $54 million over five years. According to Gecko, the effort is aimed at helping the Navy reduce maintenance delays and move toward the Chief of Naval Operations’ target of 80% fleet readiness by 2027. Gecko’s technology is already being used in defense, energy, and manufacturing, sectors where rapid and accurate insight into the condition of valuable physical assets can save time, cut costs, and improve safety. In this latest program, the company’s AI and robotic systems will be deployed across destroyers, amphibious warships, and littoral combat ships to help identify repairs faster and improve operational readiness. The new contract marks another major milestone for Gecko, which was founded in 2013 by Loosararian and co-founder Troy Demmer out of their college dorm room. In June 2025, Gecko reached unicorn status after raising $125 million in a Series D funding round that doubled its valuation to $1.25 billion. The round was led by Cox Enterprises, with continued backing from existing investors including USIT, XN, Founders Fund, and Y Combinator. At the time, the company said it had raised a total of $347 million. Gecko Robotics builds AI-powered robots and software that help organizations inspect, maintain, and modernize critical infrastructure. Its robots can climb, crawl, fly, and swim to collect large volumes of data on assets ranging from military ships and aircraft to power plants and energy facilities. That data is then analyzed through Gecko’s proprietary operating platform, Cantilever, which helps customers make evidence-based decisions, optimize performance, extend asset lifespan, and improve safety. According to the company, its wall-climbing robots, drones, and fixed sensors collect data on components, hulls, decks, and welds across Navy ships and submarines, while AI is used to build accurate models and identify structural issues, including defects that may not be visible to the human eye. Gecko said Navy data has shown that its technology reduces maintenance lead times and work hours while increasing the availability of actionable inspection data. The company added that a single robotic evaluation and digital rendering of a flight deck eliminated more than three months of potential maintenance delay. “Readiness isn’t just a metric, it’s all that matters,” Loosararian said in a statement announcing the deal. He added that Gecko’s robotics and AI products are designed to help ensure U.S. service members have the advantage they need by shifting maintenance from reactive to predictive. Justin Fanelli, Chief Technology Officer for the Department of the Navy, also praised the partnership, saying solutions like Gecko’s make innovation adoption easier while saving time, money, and risk. Senator Dave McCormick likewise pointed to Gecko as part of Pennsylvania’s defense manufacturing legacy, saying the company is helping deliver next-generation AI, autonomous systems, and robotics capabilities for the U.S. military. Gecko has continued to expand its footprint since reaching unicorn status. In November 2025, ADNOC and Gecko signed three new agreements to expand robotics and AI deployment across energy assets and support future skills training. In January 2026, Gecko also announced a partnership with Trident Maritime Systems to deploy AI and robotics across 20 fabrication facilities supporting U.S. Navy production, with the company saying the effort is expected to increase throughput by at least 40%. A two-time CNBC Disruptor 50 company, Gecko was ranked No. 30 on CNBC’s 2025 Disruptor 50 list, reflecting its growing relevance across critical industries. Gecko’s mission remains bold: to help build, operate, and modernize the world’s most critical infrastructure. With Armenian roots and growing influence in defense, energy, and industrial technology, Gecko’s latest milestone marks another major win for Armenian innovation and representation.

"By the time (Jean-Pierre) Filiu departed, Israeli forces had killed an estimated one thousand children per month in Gaza, roughly 15,000 in all...Some 35,000 children had been wounded." -- @mdinenno responsiblestatecraft.org/the-destructio…

🎙 New episode of #IfYouWereInCharge ICAN’s @sanambna & @kramdas speak with @jvplive's Stefanie Fox about the rise of Jewish anti‑Zionism, JVP’s rapid growth, & collective organising for justice. 🎙️Full episode: open.spotify.com/episode/0lrizd…

“67,000 homes have been destroyed…It’s serious.” ICAN’s @sanambna spoke to @Channel4News about the devastating toll that the US & Israel’s war on #Iran is having on ordinary people. ▶️ Full interview: youtu.be/-9UIPyiyyqE

Gazans were acutely aware they might be quickly forgotten: shortly before he was killed by Israeli artillery fire on Al-Awda Hospital, Dr. Mahmoud Abu Nujeila wrote on a whiteboard, “Whoever stays until the end will tell the story. We did what we could. Remember us.” responsiblestatecraft.org/the-destructio…

New Book Documents Armenian Cultural Heritage Sites in Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh

الحرب لا تبني السلام. حان الآن وقت اختيار طريق مختلف. آيكان و#وصل تناديان بالوقف الفوري للتصعيد والعودة إلى الدبلوماسية في #إيران. في عشية النوروز وعيد الفطر-وهما مناسبتان تحتفيان بالتجدد والتعاطف وإنسانيتنا المشتركة-لا يمكننا تجاهل ما يحدث. 🔗 icanpeacework.org/wp-content/upl…

New Book Documents Armenian Cultural Heritage Sites in Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh via @AP apnews.com/press-release/…

The big chart: Where does the world's oil come from? weforum.org/stories/2026/0… via @wef

Armenian Cultural Heritage Sites Facing Destruction in Nagorno-Karabakh pjmedia.com/uzay-bulut/202… By Uzay Bulut @bulutuzay_ #Armenian #NagornoKarabakh #Armenia

Thank you California Courier for reposting @bulutuzay_ article "Armenian Cultural Heritage Sites Facing Destruction in Nagorno-Karabakh" -- on Spiritual Artsakh's publication of "The Tangible Cultural Monuments of the Republic of Artsakh" thecaliforniacourier.com/armenian-cultu….

The families of Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan have been unable to see their loved ones for more than two years. They are deeply concerned about the detainees’ state of health. The last to have had independent access to them were representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross – the only organization that visited them at their places of detention. However, at the demand of the Government of Azerbaijan, the ICRC was compelled to terminate its operations in the country on 3 September 2025. In these circumstances, the question of the detainees’ legal status – as understood within the framework of international humanitarian law – acquires particular significance. It is with this request that Veronika Zonabend addressed ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger. We are publishing this letter and reiterating the request it contains: we ask the ICRC to clarify the specific legal status under which Armenian detainees were visited by the organization’s representatives, and to consider responding to this question. Read the letter here: freearmenianprisoners.com/a-letter-from-…

We are grateful to the World Evangelical Alliance, the European Centre for Law and Justice, and the Jubilee Campaign for co-sponsoring this important statement! @WEAnews @JubileeC @ECLJ_Official

The family of the late Iranian-Armenian former member of parliament Vardan Vardanyan has been displaced after a bombing damaged their residential building near Bahar Avenue in Tehran, a local media report said. A reporter from Alik said the apartment, located next to a heavily damaged building, has been deemed unsafe despite remaining standing. Vardanyan’s widow, Anahit, and other family members were not injured and have temporarily moved to a relative’s home. The family was in shock and unable to give interviews, the report said. Images from the scene showed broken windows, damaged doors and furniture scattered inside the apartment. Wreaths placed in memory of Vardanyan were still visible in the building’s courtyard.

Armenian Cultural Heritage Sites Facing Destruction in Nagorno-Karabakh pjmedia.com/uzay-bulut/202…

Thank you @bulutuzay_ for your insightful article on the critical need of safeguarding Armenian cultural heritage sites

BREAKING: Israel is dropping white phosphorus on the village of Khiam in South Lebanon. On homes. On civilian areas. This is a war crime. Not a peep from the international community. Not a word from the International Criminal Court.

While everyone is focussed on Iran, the israelis continue to target, kill and wound Palestinian families & children in Gaza | via @TheSaviour

For the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, 15 March Many of Iran’s most beautiful treasures are mosques, now under the shadow of war. Iran preserved my Christian heritage for centuries. Today I honour its stunning heritage. May this senseless war end soon.

Israel soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian couple and two of their young children last night (15 March). Last night, around 1:30 A.M., Israeli troops operating in the village of Tamun in the northern Jordan Valley opened heavy fire at a vehicle driving inside the village. In the vehicle were members of the Bani ‘Odeh family, who were on their way home from shopping in Nablus for the ‘Eid al-Fitr festivities marking the end of Ramadan later this week. The shots killed ‘Ali Khaled Sayel Bani ‘Odeh, 38, his wife, Wa’d ‘Othman ‘Aqel Bani ‘Odeh, 36, and two of their children: ‘Othman, 6, and Muhammad, 5. After the shooting, soldiers removed from the vehicle two other children, Khaled, 11, and Mustafa, 8, from the vehicle, both lightly injured by shrapnel. The soldiers violently interrogated the elder boy at the scene. Initially, the forces prevented ambulances from reaching the area, and only after some time were medical teams allowed to approach. The troops confiscated the family’s vehicle, which was riddled with bullets. Since the beginning of the Israel-US attack on Iran on 28 February, Israel has killed 13 Palestinians in the West Bank. Of these, 8 were shot by the military, including 2 minors, and 5 were shot by settler militias. The most recent victim prior to this incident was Amir Mu‘tasem ‘Odeh, 28, who was shot and killed yesterday (Saturday, 14 March) in Qusra, Nablus District, by a settler militia that attacked the town. Since the beginning of 2026, Israel has killed 24 Palestinians in the West Bank. Of these, 18 were shot by soldiers and 6 by settler militias. This is part of Israel’s violent campaign of ethnic cleansing, which has intensified during the attack on Iran. Under Israeli rule, the lives of Palestinians are treated as entirely expendable.